Police to descend on Okada operators
Despite efforts by the police to clamp down on the Okada business, the use of motorbikes for commercial purposes is booming within the Accra Metropolis, as well as other regions.
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Currently, the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service has banned the use of motorbikes for commercial purposes in the country, however, this seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
From the General Post Office area and the Agege Taxi Station at the Rawlings Park, both in the central business district to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital at Korle Gonno, Dome and Kwabenya in Greater Accra Region, the Okada business is booming.
But the MTTD Commander for Greater Accra, ACP Anderson Fosu-Ackaah, has hinted of the command’s preparedness to clamp down on this illegal business in order to sustain the gains made in reducing road accidents during festive occasions.
ACP Fosu-Ackaah said that the police had not given up on the fight against Okada operators because it remained an illegal business as stipulated in the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012, and contributed largely to the number of road accidents recorded in the country.
He said the continuous effort of the police reduced motorbike accidents from 227 in the last quarter of 2013 to 198 cases in 2014 in the Accra Metropolis and the unit was poised to reduce it further.
Road accidents
The MTTD commander disclosed that a total of 1,432 accidents occurred in the last quarter of 2013 in Accra, out of which 93 deaths were recorded. In 2014, this figure reduced to 1,215 cases and 70 deaths.
He said the command would work to further reduce this figure in this festive season and urged all road users to cooperate with the police to safeguard lives.
ACP Fosu-Ackaah said the police would be lenient with drivers who might not have license this Christmas due to the challenges faced by the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority but cautioned drivers not to take advantage of that to misbehave on the road.
Tricycle
ACP Fosu-Ackaah said Ghana’s current laws do not allow tricycles to be used for commercial purposes and therefore the command will not allow the menace to thrive.
He however maintained that the police are there for society and therefore if Ghanaians want tricycle to become a commercial means of transport, parliament should review the existing law to legalise it use.
Challenges
The MTTD commander expressed concern that the command did not have enough men to be stationed at all vantage corners where these illegal operators often pitched camp.
He also said it was difficult for only one police to arrest an Okada rider since the operators usually bolted due to the heavy vehicular traffic in the capital.
Advice
ACP Fosu-Ackaah advised people to desist from patronising the illegality to save themselves from avoidable accidents.
He said most Okada operators often rode at top speed when they reached where the police were stationed which usually led to fatal accidents.
“Motor bikes are not meant for commercial purposes per our statutes and therefore there will be no insurance cover for you when you board an okada and get involved in an accident,” he added.
Patronage
In a chat with The Mirror, an Okada rider, Musah Ayamba, said patronage was very high as some commuters preferred Okada services to get them to their destinations more quickly than being in vehicles which hardly moved because of the heavy traffic in the metropolis.
Another operator, Avon Quarshie, disclosed that his daily sales had increased from GH¢50 to GH¢150 and described it as a lucrative and unstoppable venture.
He said he charged between GH¢2 and GH¢5 depending on the passenger’s destination.
Origin of Okada
Okada is a commercial motorbike business that emerged in Nigeria in the 1980’s. The business entails the transportation of fare-paying passengers from one point to another.
Interestingly, Okada was coined from the defunct Okada Airline that used to operate quick-fix operations of flying passengers from one airport to another.