Uber is committing ‘illegality’ with private cars – Accra taxi drivers claim

Some commercial taxi drivers in Accra have raised issues of illegality in the operations of Uber, a transportation network company which has been operating within the Accra metropolis for the past year.

Using technology, Uber connects passengers to car drivers (private car drivers) with ease, something that has given the company popularity in Accra within a short period.

But some taxi drivers under the umbrella Commercial Taxi Drivers Association Ghana have questioned the use of private cars by Uber drivers for commercial purposes.

The commercial drivers say the action of Uber drivers is in breach of the Road Traffic Act LI 2012, Regulation 141 (1)(b) 2180 The drivers have consequently petitioned the Minister of Transport, to ensure that those using their vehicles for Uber services commercialise those vehicles within three weeks.

“We the Commercial Taxi Drivers Association would want to notify the Ministry [of Transport] about the illegality of Uber cars to commercialize their cars,” they stated in the petition.

They have threatened to cease payment of taxes and some road worthy fees should the minister fail to ensure that Uber cars are converted from private to commercial within three weeks.

“If the said conditions are not adhered to, all commercial taxi drivers will restrict from paying income taxes, commercial driving licence and also road worthy will be paid once in a year” they stated in the petition.

The drivers say the petition they are yet to get responses to the petition which submitted on August 8, 2017 and was copied to the Ghana Revenue Authority, the DVLA, the Motor Transport and Traffic Department of the Police and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.

President of the drivers in charge of Greater Accra, Atto Annobil, told 3News Friday that they will stop paying all taxes required of commercial drivers, adding “we will spray our vehicles as private cars and fix the taxi mount on it”.