By Wisdom JONNY-NUEKPE
The Ghana Tourism Development Company (GTDC) has unveilled ‘Fleet Pool Management Services’ (FPMS) to bring all car rental businesses under one umbrella body to ensure professionalism and credibility in the tourism industry.
Regulated by GTDC, the FPMS platform is expected to provide a wider pool of potential clients and is aimed at ensuring safe and reliable transportation – providing cost-effective transportation services for tourists.
Speaking at the unveilling ceremony, GTDC-CEO Prof. Kobby Mensah said the FPMS will also provide a more stable income stream for car rental companies and agents.
“The bigger advantage in this initiative is that tourists and visitors get the benefit of safe transportation to tourist sites, cost saving, availability of professional chauffeur services and optimised transport services for tourist groups,” Dr. Mensah said.
So far, according to GTDC, 12 private companies have registered to be on the FPMS platform.
Some tourism sector stakeholders have said the platform will positively disrupt the car rental business, as the platform will ensure high service standards of delivery within the sector.
The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Abla Dzifa Gomashie – who launched the platform initiative, commended GTDC for working to meet the robust demands of modern tourism transportation and for believing in public-private partnerships as a pathway to national development.
She described the initiative as a visionary platform, marking a turning point toward delivering the Black Star experience.
“The platform seeks to streamline tourist mobility across our rich and diverse destinations while promoting driving standards and ensuring compliance with national regulations in both the tourist and transportation sectors.
“It leverages GTDC’s distributive reach and operational credibility to support a public-private partnership framework, allowing government and the private sector to combine efforts in delivering quality and content in tourism transport,” she added.
Ms. Gomashie indicated that the FPMS is not just about vehicles but also values, professionalism, reliability, partnership and progress.
“It is about building a system that reflects the excellence of Ghana’s tourism brand and supports the goal of positioning Ghana as a preferred destination in West Africa and beyond,” she stated.
The minister however called for the country to partner with other nations to have more direct flights to African neighbours – stating that travelling in Africa is exhausting and expensive.
Registration on the FPMS
GTDC will ensure compliance with GTA laws, maintain car quality and organise training for drivers.
The company indicated that it will ensure rigorous registration processes for car rental providers by reviewing their documentation and signing them up through the proper processes.
