Volta Region GPRTU to start driving school

Ho, Jan. 17, GNA- The Volta Region Branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), has acquired a land on the Ho-Aflao trunk road to start a driving school.

The school will have residential apartments for learners and offer refresher courses for professional drivers.

Mr Moses Davor, Regional Chairman of the Union who briefed the Ghana News Agency about the project scheduled to start in October this year, did not indicate how much it would cost.

He said school would target girls for training, as the Union's contribution to women's empowerment and reverse the high incidence of unemployment among them.

He said the proliferation of public transport associations had made it difficult for the GPRTU to enforce discipline within its ranks. "The trend is for erring drivers to refuse to go through procedural investigations and opt out of the Union to join other associations." Mr Davor said the Union acts promptly on reports of unruly behaviour and bad driving brought against its members by aggrieved passengers. He said a number of drivers and mates had been reprimanded or punished for the maltreatment of passengers, careless driving, over speeding, overloading and drunkenness.

Mr Davor said efforts to improve on services in the Region through the purchase of new vehicles were being hampered by high capital cost and non-availability of credit.

He appealed to the National Executive Committee of the GPRTU to consult the government for special credit lines to enable drivers to pay deposits for buses being brought into the country through the GPRTU-China deal.

` Mr Davor said the current demand of 70 million cedis deposit for a 38-seater bus and 100 million cedis for a 54-seater bus were too high.