The Ministry of Transport has denied reports that it has directed Uber to ensure all its drivers brand their cars like taxis.

The General Secretary of the Commercial Taxi Drivers Association of Ghana, Steven Nimo, was reported to have said the decision was reached at a stakeholder meeting on Wednesday.

But the Transport Ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Gloria Holm-Graves, confirmed to Citi News that the said meeting was inconclusive on the matter.

The Ministry is coordinating talks between the Commercial Taxi Drivers Association in Ghana, Uber, and other stakeholders.

Taxi drivers have consistently voiced their displeasure with the operations of Uber drivers, who they say are taking their passengers whilst violating laws of Ghana, specifically LI 2180 regulation 130.

The taxi drivers are, among other things, concerned with the fact Uber drivers are exempt from the payment of the Vehicle Insurance Tax every quarter.

“They [the taxi drivers] are paying VIT [Vehicle Insurance Tax] every quarter. They are paying the DVLA [for road worthiness] two times a year. They are paying certain levies to the assembly for embossment,” Mrs. Holm-Graves noted.

“The meeting wasn’t conclusive because it is an ongoing process. We are listening to some of the laws and all that. The commercial drivers were raising all those things; about what is required for one to operate as a taxi service in the country, all the regulations that are available that one is expected to fulfill, and all of that.”

The taxi drivers are seeking a more level playing field with their agitations over the past year, and the Transport Ministry looking to determine if Uber drivers fall under the umbrella of taxi services.

According to Mrs. Holm-Graves, the Commercial Taxi Drivers Association said it was happy with the ongoing talks, and she assured them that they will “certainly arrive at an acceptable resolution where all those who are not compliant to certain conditions or regulations will become compliant.”

She however stated that no definite assurance was made to the Association that would have necessitated the erroneous reports attributed to the Transport Ministry.

“Since it is a process, we are still dialoguing. We haven’t concluded yet. We haven’t concluded as of now that Uber is a taxi service or whatever. We asked them to bring all their documents, we are going to study them and then we’ll see,” Mrs. Holm-Graves said.

Since Uber was launched in 2009, it has been at the centre of regulator disputes in different countries, and has at times been forced to change its business model as a result.

The European Court of Justice recently ruled that Uber was officially a transport company and not a digital service.

The ride-hailing firm argued that it was an information society service helping people to make contact with each other electronically and not a cab firm.
In Ghana, Uber is present in Accra and Kumasi and hundreds of drivers have jumped onto the platform to make a living either on a full-time or part-time basis.

The furors surrounding Uber’s operations has been noted as an example of how regulators are struggling to make sense of the phenomenon known as the gig economy.

President Akufo-Addo has stated that the new paradigm of economic development which his administration is vigorously pursuing will improve the business climate in Ghana.

According to the President, it is common knowledge that in recent years industries have not been doing well, as growth rates in various industries slumped to -0.5% in 2016, as opposed to a growth rate of 15.1%, at the end of 2008.

However, the President stated that “as a result of the normalization of the power situation in the country, and the implementation of government’s pro-business policies, I believe our objective of shifting the focus of our economy from taxation to production is bearing fruit.

“In 2017, industry grew at 17.7%, a radically marked improvement on its abysmal 2016 performance in the last year of the Mahama administration.”

President Akufo-Addo made this known on Saturday, 13th January, 2018, when he commissioned the Twyford Ceramics Factory, at Shama, in the Western Region.

The President acknowledged that unless the country industrialises with the goal of adding value to our primary products, “we cannot create the necessary numbers of high-paying jobs that will enhance the living standards of the mass of our people. Raw material producing economies do not create prosperity for the masses. The way to ensuring access to prosperity is the industrial development of our economy.”

It is for this reason that the President congratulated the Chairperson, Board of Directors and Management of Sunda International for the decision to establish the factory in Shama.

The factory, he was confident, will not only reduce the country’s ceramic tiles import bill, and thus saving the country considerable sums of foreign exchange, but will also serve as a source of employment for many young men and women, resident in Shama.

“I am also happy to note that ninety five percent (95%) of the factory’s raw material needs will be sourced locally. The promoters of this project should work towards increasing this figure to a hundred percent (100%),” the President added.

Industrial Development Tariff

In furtherance of Government’s commitment to improve the business environment, President Akufo-Addo revealed that Ghana National Gas Company Limited (Ghana Gas) has responded favorably to the request of Twyford Ceramics Limited for a reduction of the price per unit gas supply to the company, and, indeed, to industries across the country.

“Through the new Industrial Development Tariff, authorised by the Minister for Energy, a new rate of US$6.50 per Million British Thermal Units (MMBtu) has been approved for industry, as against the previous rate of US$8.84 per Million British Thermal Units (MMBtu). Ghana Gas notified the company of this in its letter dated 22nd November, 2017,” President Akufo-Addo noted.

This Government, he said, “is determined to enhance the competitiveness of Ghanaian industries.”

President Akufo-Addo assured the partners of the project that, under his watch, Ghana will be a great place to do business.

“The experienced Minister for Trade and Industry will work with you to address any challenges that may arise, but, if, indeed, it becomes necessary, which I hope it will not, to go higher up the chain of authority, I want you to know that my doors will always be open. I do, on the other hand, insist that, on your part, you play according to the rules and regulations of the sector and the laws of the country as a whole,” he said.

The President wished all stakeholders in the project great success, adding that “we are on the threshold of something remarkable in Ghana, and I am pleased to have those involved in the Twyford Ceramics Factory as partners in our country’s exciting, new journey.”

StarrfmOnline