THE Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has complained about alleged preferential treatment concerning parking rights in the Kumasi metropolis given to Metro Mass Transit (MMT) buses by the police.
As a result of that preferential treatment, the union said its members continued to lose passengers to the MMT, a situation that was slowly killing their business.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, the Secretary of the Kumasi-Accra Mini Bus branch of the GPRTU at Asafo, Mr Darko Mensah, said while the MMT buses were allowed to use the road as loading points, the same opportunity was not extended to the GPRTU or any other private transport union.
“Any of our vehicles that park on the road to pick passengers is arrested,” he said, adding, “This is selective justice.” He, therefore, called for a level playing field.
Mr Mensah said if the rule of law was to work in the country, then it must apply to all people.
While welcoming the introduction of the MMT into the system, Mr Mensah said its operations should not be at a disadvantage to other transport unions.
He also spoke against the extension of the MMT’s operations outside the metropolises and the major towns, a practice which, he said, defeated the purpose for which the MMT buses were introduced.
The secretary attributed the growing rate of accidents to the proliferation of driver unions in the country and indicated that while the GPRTU insisted on professionalism on the part of drivers, some of the unions neglected that, bringing on board unqualified drivers to take charge of vehicles.
He said for over 10 years now the Kumasi-Accra Mini Bus Branch of the GPRTU at Asafo had never had a single accident, which indicated the professional competence of its drivers.
Mr Mensah said most accidents could be blamed on drivers and, therefore, challenged drivers to bring professional competence to bear on their activities.
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