The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) will begin registering transport unions and companies seeking to operate commercial motorcycles and tricycles in November as part of efforts to formalise the sector under the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519).
The registration will establish a database of operators and improve accountability and regulatory oversight ahead of the planned national launch of the operationalisation framework.
The Director-General of the NRSA, Abraham Amaliba, announced this at an engagement with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Accra last Wednesday to clarify their respective responsibilities in implementing the regulations.
Registration
Mr Amaliba said the authority would invite existing transport unions, associations and companies to submit the necessary organisational and operational documents.
He said riders would be required to belong to recognised unions or companies rather than operate independently.
“You must belong to a union or you must belong to a company,” he said, explaining that the requirement would make it easier to trace operators and hold them accountable.
Mr Amaliba further said the assemblies were to provide designated terminals for commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators and identify suitable operating spaces within their jurisdictions.
He said the occupation of pavements by traders forced pedestrians onto the roads, exposing them to moving vehicles.
“Pavements are supposed to be used by pedestrians. Now, we find traders occupying the pavements. It pushes pedestrians to compete with the vehicles on the road,” he said.
Requirements
The Director of Regulations, Inspectorate and Compliance at the NRSA, Kwame Koduah Atuahene, said the framework covered licensing, organisational requirements, regulatory oversight and local operating permits.
“For starters, vehicles and riders intending to participate in this framework must acquire special purpose licensing for their vehicles and also their riders,” he said.
He said recognised transport unions would be required to operate in at least eight administrative regions, with a minimum of 100 vehicles in each, while companies would need at least 50 vehicles in one region.
Mr Atuahene said riders would also have to obtain commercial rider’s licences from the DVLA and undergo approved training and testing.
“You recall the conversation around the age, 18, 16, 15, 10, but Parliament settled on 21,” he said, explaining the minimum age requirement for commercial motorcycle riders.
He added that commercial motorcycles and tricycles would transition from blue to yellow number plates under the new arrangements.
The Deputy Director of Administration at the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), John Abeku-Dennis, who read a speech on behalf of the Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, said the successful implementation of the regulations required effective coordination among relevant institutions.
