GPRTU calls for review of 21-day auction rule for broken-down vehicles

The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has called for a reassessment of a critical aspect of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519). The regulation allows for the auction of vehicles left at designated holding areas for 21 days after breaking down. While the union supports the prompt removal of these vehicles from the roads, it expresses concern that auctioning them too quickly could result in significant financial losses for commercial transport operators.

Speaking to Citi News, GPRTU Deputy Public Relations Officer Samuel Amoah stated that vehicle owners should be permitted to reclaim their vehicles once they pay the necessary towing and storage fees. He emphasized that no operator would willingly abandon a vehicle once it has been safely towed to a location. Amoah reiterated that while the union agrees with the existing rules regarding towing times, it opposes the auction of vehicles after 21 days.

He suggested that authorities should reconsider the auction clause and allow operators more time to recover their vehicles after fulfilling the applicable fees. "We think they have to take a second look at the word auction because nobody will intentionally decide to leave his vehicle on the road. If it is being towed to a safer place, we think that the number of days the vehicle will spend there, if you have a fee that the owner will pay, that is fine.

But to auction the vehicle, we think that will not help our business," Amoah added. The GPRTU believes that the objective of maintaining clean roads can still be accomplished without endangering operators' financial well-being through vehicle auctions.