Accra, Dec. 20, GNA- A private vehicle inspection, testing and technical organisation company, S-Class Service Limited, has inaugurated a third testing centre at Techiman in the Brong-Ahafo Region to serve the Municipality and its environs.
The organisation is mandated by the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to check the road worthiness of vehicles, as part of efforts and measures by the Authority to reduce road crashes in the country.
At a media briefing after a tour of the facility on Sunday, Mr. Samuel Oppong, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, explained the purpose of inspecting and testing vehicles was to ensure its road worthiness, and to facilitate the safety of drivers and passengers.
He said the inspection process included identification, payment for test, registry, visual and automated testing, printing and certification and road worthy certificate.
The visual test comprised windscreen, tyre, wipers, wheel knots and bolts, seat belt, number plates and seats while the automated test consisted of emission test, alignment, shock absorbers, front, rear and rear brakes test and the lighting system, Mr. Oppong added.
He said the organisation started operations at Dome in Accra in 2000 and extended its services to a second centre around Buokrom Estate in Kumasi to serve clients in the Metropolis and its surrounding municipalities and districts.
The CEO said Management of the company considered the need to open a third centre at Techiman because it is not only a trading hub but one of the biggest in West Africa that needed such vital automotive services to boost economic activities.
Mr. Oppong said about 70 per cent of vehicles that plied the country’s roads were not roadworthy and that had led to many road accidents.
He said testing services had contributed to drastically reduce road crashes since « the company does not compromise on standards », adding that the Accra testing centre had tested over 300,000 vehicles since it began operations.
The CEO said the operations in Accra had also reduced congestion and eased the pressure on the DVLA office at the 37 Military Hospital area, where vehicles were tested and licensed.
Mr. Oppong said the company had now created employment for over 70 professionals and announced that it would extend its operations to the other regions in the northern sector of the country
He appealed to government to encourage the opening of more of such facilities through public-private partnership, saying that was key to speeding economic development.
