NRSA Urges Commercial Road Transport Operators to Embrace E-Registration for Improved Safety and Efficiency

The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has organized an engagement session with 47 commercial road transport operators to promote the adoption of electronic registration (e-registration) of road transport service providers. The acting Director-General of the NRSA, David Osafo Adonteng, commended some providers who have already automated their systems and urged others to follow suit before the digitalization exercise commences next month.

The initiative, known as TransportGhana, aims to modernize commercial road transport services by introducing features such as e-registration and licensing, electronic ticketing, departure control, roadside assistance, e-driver training monitoring, e-passenger manifest, e-vehicle tracking, citizen reporting, and road safety watch. This move is expected to enhance efficiency, reduce road traffic casualties, and align with the country’s road safety management policies and the government's digitization agenda.

The meeting included prominent transport operators such as Intercity STC, Metro Mass Transit Limited, GPRTU, PROTOA, and others. Ten commercial road transport service providers, including GPRTU, PROTOA, Ayalolo, OA, and VVIP transport services, were lauded for automating their systems. The NRSA assured operators that the registration process would be seamless and provided details on the e-registration processes and the 2024 Action Plan, emphasizing compliance and safety.

While some operators expressed optimism about the initiative's potential to improve road safety and sanitize the transport sector, concerns were raised regarding the NRSA's capacity to deliver on its mandate due to limited staff and logistical constraints. Additionally, issues such as the indiscriminate parking of faulty heavy-duty trucks on highways and the maintenance of road infrastructure were highlighted as contributors to road crashes.

Overall, the engagement served to underscore the importance of collaboration between the NRSA and commercial road transport operators in implementing digitalization initiatives to enhance road safety and efficiency in Ghana's transport sector.