The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has reminded persons driving commercial vehicles with yellow registration plates within its jurisdiction to obtain commercial driver's licences from the Assembly in accordance with its by-laws regulating commercial transport operations.

The requirement, contained in the AMA (Operation of Commercial Vehicles) By-laws, 2017, forms part of measures to regulate commercial transport services and ensure that drivers operating within the metropolis comply with the Assembly's licensing requirements.

Head of Public Affairs at the AMA, Mr. Gilbert Nii Ankrah who gave the reminder, said the clarification had become necessary following persistent misunderstandings among motorists and enforcement personnel regarding the distinction between commercial driver's licences and vehicle stickers.

He disclosed that the commercial driver's licence, issued in the form of a card, costs GH¢60 for new applicants and GH¢23 for annual renewal, unlike the vehicle sticker, which is displayed on the windscreen.

He explained that drivers of commercially registered vehicles, identifiable by their yellow number plates, were required to obtain the AMA commercial driver's licence in addition to the appropriate driving licence issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).

He stressed that the commercial driver's licence was issued to the individual driver rather than the vehicle and must be carried whenever the driver was engaged in commercial transport operations.

He said the distinction was important because privately registered vehicles with white number plates could also be subject to applicable vehicle sticker requirements, particularly where they were used to convey goods or undertake activities covered by the Assembly's permit arrangements.

He emphasised that obtaining a vehicle sticker did not automatically mean that a motorist was required to acquire a commercial driver's licence.

Under the by-laws, authorised enforcement officers may request commercial drivers to produce their Assembly-issued licences for inspection, while the Assembly's transport enforcement task force was empowered to inspect vehicle stickers and commercial driver's licences, he said.

He urged commercial drivers operating within the Assembly's jurisdiction to obtain and maintain valid AMA commercial driver's licences and was hopeful that improved public awareness and consistent enforcement would minimise misunderstandings and strengthen compliance with the Assembly's commercial transport regulations.