AMA to reintroduce embossment of numbers on taxis

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) will from March 1, 2016 reintroduce the embossment of numbers on taxicabs operating in the metropolis.

The move, according to the Public Relations Officer of the AMA, Numo Blafo III, is to provide maximum security to passengers and drivers, and to also assist passengers to retrieve items left in taxis.

He made this known when he met with some members of the Circle UTC Taxi Drivers Union branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) to inform  and educate them on the reintroduction of the embossment system.

The meeting was also to seek the views of the drivers on how best to implement the initiative which was first introduced in 2008.

Embossment system

The AMA introduced the embossment system in 2007-2008 when Ghana was celebrating its Golden Jubilee anniversary and the CAN 2008 African Cup of Nations to ensure maximum security of the public.

In addition to the embossment, drivers were also given a directive to wear sea blue shirts and blue-black pair of trousers to enhance the image of the driving profession and the taxi industry.

The drivers' failure to wear the uniforms violates the AMA (Taxi) Bye-laws, 2007 Section 5, which makes it mandatory for all taxi drivers within the metropolis to wear uniforms from January 10, 2008.

Section 10 (1) of the bye-law also states that, “A person who contravenes a provision of these bye-laws commits an offence and is liable to a summary conviction to a fine of 100 penalty units. One penalty unit, under the laws of Ghana, is GH¢2.00. Section 10 (2) states that: "A person who fails to pay the penalty imposed under sub-paragraph (1) shall have the vehicle impounded."

However, in 2011 the system was put on hold due to the introduction of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system intended to improve transportation and ease vehicular traffic.

Taxi drivers who intend to emboss their vehicles are expected to pay an amount of GH¢40 while those who already have the numbers but have it wiped off are to come with their numbers  and pay a lesser amount.

Why reintroduction

Speaking to the drivers, Numo Blafo said the reintroduction of the exercise was due to complaints made by some taxi drivers to the assembly that without the embossment, they were denied entry into certain areas within the metropolis.

“Some of the drivers have come to complain to us that they don’t have the embossment and when they go to other jurisdictions, they are harassed. Some even said when they get to Burma Camp and they do not have the embossment, they are made to drop their passengers and they (the drivers) return,” he said.

He, however, denied rumours that the assembly was using the embossment to generate revenue from the taxi drivers, saying that it was rather to facilitate the free movement of drivers within the metropolis.

On whether prescribed uniforms would also be introduced for the drivers, Numo Blafo said the assembly was yet to decide on the issue but quickly added that it was important for drivers to emboss their vehicles as “they may not only suffer at the hands of AMA but they may suffer at the hands of other assemblies because they may not be able to go to other jurisdictions”.

Embossing other commercial vehicles

Speaking on behalf of the drivers, the chairman of the Circle UTC Taxi Drivers Union, Reverend Yaw Boakye, said the idea was laudable, and so it was to extend the system to other commercial vehicles like trotro.

According to him, such vehicles could equally be used for criminal activities and passengers could also lose their items in them “and so if they have the number, the passengers can also trace them at the station”.

Reverend Boakye said it would also compel “floating” vehicles to join unions in order to get the embossment.