The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has reminded drivers of commercially registered vehicles to obtain the Assembly’s commercial driver’s licence or risk running into trouble during enforcement.
The reminder follows what the Assembly says are persistent misunderstandings among motorists and enforcement personnel over the difference between a commercial driver’s licence and the vehicle sticker required for certain commercial activities.
Head of Public Affairs at the AMA, Gilbert Nii Ankrah, said drivers operating vehicles with yellow registration plates are required under the AMA (Operation of Commercial Vehicles) By-laws, 2017, to obtain a commercial driver’s licence from the Assembly in addition to the appropriate driving licence issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
He explained that the commercial driver’s licence is issued to the individual driver, not the vehicle, and must be carried whenever the driver is engaged in commercial transport operations.
According to him, the Assembly-issued licence comes in the form of a card and costs GH¢60 for new applicants, while annual renewal costs GH¢23.
This is separate from the vehicle sticker, which is displayed on the windscreen and is subject to applicable permit requirements.
Mr Ankrah stressed that having a vehicle sticker does not automatically mean that a motorist must obtain a commercial driver’s licence.
He explained that even privately registered vehicles with white number plates could be subject to applicable vehicle sticker requirements, particularly when they are used to convey goods or undertake activities covered by the Assembly’s permit arrangements.
The clarification, he said, was necessary to help motorists understand that the two requirements serve different purposes and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Under the Assembly’s by-laws, authorised enforcement officers may request commercial drivers to produce their AMA-issued commercial driver’s licences for inspection.
The Assembly’s transport enforcement task force is also empowered to inspect vehicles for the required stickers and commercial driver’s licences as part of efforts to regulate commercial transport operations within the metropolis.
Mr Ankrah urged commercial drivers operating within the AMA’s jurisdiction to ensure that their Assembly-issued licences remain valid and are carried whenever they are engaged in commercial transport activities.
He expressed hope that increased public education, coupled with consistent enforcement, would reduce confusion among motorists and improve compliance with the Assembly’s commercial transport regulations.
