“Mahama Camboo” Collapsing Taxi Business in Bolga

The Secretary of the Sumbrungu Taxi Drivers Association in the Bolgatanga Municipality, Mr Jonas Acheampong has entreated officials of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Motto Transport and Traffic Department to regularise activities of Tricycle operators.

“The Tricycles, popularly known as Mahama Camboo need to legitimize their operations as commercial transport providers.”

He said as of now their activities were illegal because they were not registered to provide commercial services and were not under any obligation to insure their vehicles against any unforeseen circumstances even though they used technically for commercial transportation purposes.

Mr Acheampong who made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga said since the inception of the “Mahama Camboo” in the Upper East Region as means of public transport, it had negatively affected Taxi businesses bringing that vibrant sector to its knees.

He said the Station Managers made a formal complaint to the Regional Police Commander on the issue to intervene, as the Tricycles were not registered to run commercial transport business.

He indicated that the Association wrote letters to Managers of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police and other related institutions to intervene in the matter, but were yet to receive any positive response.

The Secretary said the Ghana Police Service and all the institutions petitioned to intervene in the matter were reluctant to positively respond because “the Tricycles are introduced by Political leaders hence the fear to introduce the right policy to control it”.

Mr Acheampong argued that once the Tricycle owners were not obliged to commercially insure their vehicles to properly compete in the transport business, taxi drivers would soon resolve not to insure their vehicles as demanded by the road traffic regulations as the taxi business was under siege by their activities.

He called on authorities concerned to as a matter of urgency regularize activities of “Mahama Camboo” to run commercial to enable them meet requirements of the road traffic regulation Act.

“some of the riders are below 18 years, which is against the Road Traffic Regulations.”

Mr John Asaah, Chairman of the Sumbrungu Taxi Drivers Association said the Tricycle riders had invaded almost all the Taxi ranks in the Bolgatanga Municipality without any control and courtesies to the Taxi business.