The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Roads and Transportation Committee, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, has criticised the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) for arresting 15 commercial drivers in Ablekuma, Accra, describing the action as unlawful and counterproductive.

Speaking in an interview on Joy FM, the Akim Swedru MP said he had found no existing law in Ghana that empowers the GPRTU or any transport union to arrest drivers over alleged fare disputes or multiple fare charges.

“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,” Mr Osei Nyarko stated.

He explained that Ghana operates a liberalised economic system where prices are largely influenced by market forces, making it illegal for unions or even the police to arrest commercial drivers solely for charging fares perceived to be high.

According to him, the era of state-controlled pricing ended decades ago, and current economic realities do not permit forceful enforcement of fares through arrests. “We are not in the PNDC era, where prices were controlled. That era is long past,” he added.

Mr Osei Nyarko stressed that while transport unions have internal regulations, enforcement must remain administrative rather than punitive. He noted that unions can discipline members through suspensions, fines, or withdrawal of membership but cannot take the law into their own hands.