Parliament has passed the Road Traffic Amendment Bill, 2025, which seeks to legalise the commercialisation of motorcycles, known as “Okada”, tricycles, known as “Pragia” and quadracycle. The bill also revised the age of a person driving a commercial vehicle from 25 to 21 years.
When assented to by the President and gazetted, the bill will amend Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683) to provide for the limit for the determination of alcohol concentration in drivers, the use of motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles for commercial purposes.
It also seeks to develop standards for seat belts and other safety equipment, to reduce the age restriction on commercial drivers and to provide for motor vehicle emission testing.
Provisions of the Bill
Additionally, the bill provides for the examination of motor vehicles to ensure that the motor vehicle emission levels do not exceed the national standards specified for motor vehicle emissions.
The amended bill has seen a decrease in the percentage for the determination of alcohol concentration in a person driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol from 0.08 per cent to 0.05 per cent.
It also revised the prescribed limits for alcohol concentration in hundred millilitres of breath, blood and urine to 21.87 microgrammes of alcohol, 50 microgrammes of alcohol and 66.875 microgrammes of alcohol respectively.
The bill also prohibits a person who drives a motor vehicle from carrying a child below the age of twelve years or a child who is less than one hundred and forty-five centimetres tall and weighs less than thirty-six kilogrammes in the front seat of the motor vehicle.
Additionally, “where the child is in the rear seat of the motor vehicle, the child is required to be properly restrained in an appropriate safety equipment designed for children to ensure that the child is seated, positioned and restrained to withstand the force and impact of a road crash in order to reduce the risk of injury and death”.
Furthermore, it prohibits the driver of a motor vehicle from driving a child under 18 years in a motor vehicle without the child wearing a seatbelt.
Under the amended law, commercial motorcyclists are prohibited from carrying a fare-paying passenger unless “the motorcycle is licensed under the Act and meets the requirements specified by the Licensing Authority, the Regulatory Authority and Regulations made under the Act”, among others.
Debate
Debating on the floor of Parliament, the Deputy Majority Whip, Richard Acheampong, argued that the amendment was very important, as it would ensure sanity on the road.
“Let's put measures in place, upgrade them, make sure whoever offends the law is punished.
So, there'll be sanity on our roads because even when you're going to the airport or you have a business to attend and you are stuck in traffic, sometimes we leave our vehicles and we jump onto motorbikes and we attend those programmes,” he said.
The Deputy Majority Whip said there should not be pretence on the services being rendered by motorcycles and tricycles in the country.
“We shouldn't pretend they are not serving us they are serving our interests, but let's put the laws in place, make sure they are upgraded, they are registered, and they are licensed,” he added.
From the Minority side, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Walewale, Dr Mahama Tiah Abdul Kabiru, said the passage of the bill was in fulfilment of a major campaign promise of the government prior to last year’s election.
“Mr Speaker, I appreciate that this deal is in honour of a promise made by the President, and the principle behind it was the fact that the President promised and the Minister for Transport is trying to deliver on that promise to regularise the operations of motorbikes for commercial purposes,” he said.
The MP for Walewale indicated that the increase of motorcycles and tricycles on the roads had created safety risks, hence the need for a regulatory framework through the amended bill to address the concerns raised.
He said the amendment would offer a better framework to regularise the operations of commercial motorcycles and tricycles on the roads and limit safety risks.
