Abraham Amaliba, the Director General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), has reiterated that the operation of tricycles, popularly known as ‘aboboyaa’, is still illegal under Ghana’s existing road traffic regulations, despite their growing prevalence on the nation’s roads.
Speaking in an interview, Mr Amaliba elaborated that the lack of a definitive legal framework governing tricycle use continues to pose substantial challenges for regulation and enforcement.
He stated that until the appropriate laws and guidelines are officially established, the NRSA cannot take full regulatory control over their operations.
He pointed out that while tricycles are extensively utilised, especially for commercial purposes such as transporting goods within urban and peri-urban areas, their operation has not yet been legalised, leaving enforcement as the primary recourse for authorities.
“For now, because they have not yet come into full stream and they have not been legalised, my institution does not regulate them yet. It is about enforcement.
“We have not yet set out what they will be doing. We are yet to determine what they can carry and what type of goods they can carry on their buckets. It is allowed under the law to effect a citizen’s arrest and hand them over to the police immediately if they are seen breaking the law,” he noted in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report.
Mr Amaliba further clarified that essential operational aspects concerning tricycles are yet to be established, including the specific functions they will be permitted to fulfil in the transport sector if they are ultimately legalised.
