The Technical Working Committee of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has declared the use of Toyota Voxy vehicles for commercial transport illegal, citing safety concerns linked to their design and widespread modification in Ghana.
The directive follows an investigation into the growing use of the minivans as public transport, particularly after being converted from right-hand drive to left-hand drive.
Presenting the committee’s final report in Accra on Wednesday, April 8, the Chairman, Godwin Kafui Ayetor, described the situation as a major threat to passenger safety and called for urgent regulatory action.
He explained that the vehicle, originally manufactured for private family use, is not engineered for the rigours of commercial transport, particularly under Ghana’s road conditions.
“The manufacturer informed us that the Toyota Voxy is a minivan designed for young middle-class families, not for commercial passenger use. In other words, it is not designed for high mileage and is intended for use on paved roads,” he said.
Dr Ayetor noted that the vehicle’s limitations become more pronounced when deployed for long-distance or rough terrain operations, adding that more robust alternatives exist for such purposes.
“Once off-road conditions come into play, the recommendation is to use vehicles such as the Toyota Hiace, which are specifically built for commercial applications,” he stated.
The committee found that many of the vehicles currently in use have undergone extensive structural modifications, including changes to suspension systems and tyres, often by unlicensed operators.
These alterations, according to the report, compromise the vehicle’s integrity and increase the likelihood of mechanical failure.
Source: Christiana Adjei
