GPRTU opposes 21-day auction rule for broken-down vehicles
The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) is urging authorities to reconsider a provision in the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519), which permits the auctioning of broken-down vehicles that remain in designated holding areas for 21 days.
The union agrees with the immediate removal of vehicles that break down on roads but says allowing them to be auctioned after just 21 days could result in substantial financial losses for commercial transport operators.
GPRTU Deputy Public Relations Officer, Samuel Amoah, said vehicle owners should instead be given the opportunity to recover their vehicles after settling the required towing and storage charges.
According to him, no vehicle owner would intentionally abandon a vehicle on the road, especially after it has been towed to a designated and safer location.
Mr Amoah explained that under the previous regulations, motorists had 30 minutes to remove a broken-down vehicle when it occurred within the city and one hour to clear it from a highway. He said the union supports the new requirement for immediate removal but objects to the 21-day auction provision.
“In the previous LI, it was stated that when your vehicle breaks down in the city, you have 30 minutes to tow it, and when it breaks down on the highway, you have one hour to tow it off the road. Now they said immediately, yes, we agree with that. But one area we don’t support is auctioning the vehicle after 21 days,” he said in an interview with Citi FM.
Mr Amoah called on the authorities to review the auction clause and consider allowing owners additional time to retrieve their vehicles, provided they pay the applicable towing and storage fees.
He maintained that the purpose of the regulation can still be achieved without depriving transport operators of their vehicles.
“We think they have to take a second look at the word auction because nobody will intentionally decide to leave his vehicle on the road. If it is being towed to a safer place, we think that the number of days the vehicle will spend there, if you have a fee that the owner will pay, that is fine. But to auction the vehicle, we
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