The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Roads and Transportation Committee, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, has criticised the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) over the arrest of 15 commercial drivers in Ablekuma, Accra, describing the action as unlawful and counterproductive.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, Mr Osei Nyarko said no law in Ghana empowers the GPRTU or any transport union to arrest drivers for allegedly charging multiple fares.
“It is quite unfortunate that some 15 drivers have been arrested. I have tried very hard to look for what law permits the GPRTU task force to arrest these drivers, and as we speak, there are no such laws,” he said.
According to him, Ghana operates a liberalised economy where pricing is largely determined by market forces, and neither unions nor even the police have the authority to arrest commercial drivers solely for overcharging passengers.
“We are not in the PNDC era, where prices were controlled. That era is long past,” he added.
The Akim Swedru MP argued that if a driver flouts union rules or agreed fare structures, the appropriate sanction should be administrative, such as suspension or withdrawal of union membership, rather than arrest.
He warned that the “high-handed approach” adopted by the union would only worsen the current vehicle shortage situation rather than resolve it.
“Arresting drivers is not the approach I expect government or the GPRTU to use in resolving the vehicle shortage issue. It will rather aggravate the problem,” he noted.
His comments follow an operation by the GPRTU task force in Ablekuma, where 15 drivers were arrested for allegedly charging multiple fares.
Confirming the development, the National Guard Commander of the GPRTU, Derumond Ekow Gaise, told JoyNews on January 21 that the arrests formed part of a wider effort to tackle driver indiscipline and enforce approved fare structures in the city.
“The operation is aimed at enforcing discipline and ensuring drivers comply with approved fares,” he said.
However, some of the arrested drivers have rejected the accusations, describing their arrest as unjustified and an abuse of power.
Mr Osei Nyarko stressed that dialogue and engagement, rather than force, should be used to address fare-related disputes, recalling that previous administrations adopted more consultative approaches to resolve similar challenges.
“You don’t go arresting people because you think they are overcharging. The previous administration used dialogue and a human face to solve these problems. That is the approach I expect government and the GPRTU to adopt,” he added.
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