For many Ghanaians, a journey on a long-distance bus or commercial vehicle can come with more than the usual sounds of engines, conversations and music.

At some point during the trip, a preacher may stand up with a Bible in hand and begin delivering a sermon.

Sometimes the preacher stands near the front of the vehicle, close to the driver. At other times, they move through the aisle, quoting scripture, urging passengers to repent and calling on them to accept Jesus Christ.

On some journeys, particularly those lasting several hours, the preaching can continue for a significant part of the trip.

Passengers may listen quietly, join in prayers or hymns, or contribute money to the preacher before the journey continues.

For a country where Christianity has a strong presence in public life, such scenes have become familiar.

But under Ghana’s road traffic laws, preaching inside a moving public or commercial vehicle is not permitted.

And the government is now seeking to enforce that rule more strictly.

What exactly is banned?The Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519), prohibit preaching or hawking on a public or commercial vehicle while it is in motion.

Regulation 141 treats preaching and hawking in a moving public or commercial vehicle as a nuisance.

The provision applies to activities inside vehicles such as commercial buses and trotros while they are moving. It is not a prohibition on preaching generally, nor does it outlaw religious preaching in Ghana.

The distinction is important.A person preaching at a church, religious gathering, market or other public location is not being targeted by this particular provision simply because they are preaching.

The restriction is about preaching or hawking inside a moving public or commercial vehicle.

Why is the government enforcing it?The rule falls under Ghana’s road-safety framework.

Authorities argue that activities taking place inside a moving vehicle can disturb passengers and potentially distract the driver.

A preacher moving through a bus aisle, speaking loudly or using equipment such as a megaphone, can create activity around the driver and passengers while the vehicle is travelling.

The Transport Ministry says the broader reforms are intended to strengthen road safety, improve traffic-law enforcement and ensure that road users understand their responsibilities.

The renewed attention to preaching on buses is therefore part of a much wider overhaul of Ghana’s road-traffic enforcement regime.

The new regulations cover a range of offences, from speeding and dangerous driving to parking violations, commercial transport offences and other conduct affecting road safety.

Is this really a new ban?Not exactly.

This is one of the most important points about the current debate.

Ghana already had a similar restriction under the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180).

The earlier regulations prohibited causing or permitting a nuisance, including preaching and hawking, on a public or commercial vehicle while it was in motion.

The difference now is the stronger enforcement framework and the tougher consequences under the 2026 regulations.

So, while many passengers may be encountering the rule as though it were new, the prohibition itself has been on Ghana’s books for years.

What has changed is the government’s renewed effort to educate the public and enforce the regulations.

What happens if someone breaks the rule?The penalty is considerably tougher than the punishment associated with the earlier regime.

Under Regulation 141 of L.I. 2519, a person who preaches or hawks on a moving public or commercial vehicle can face:

A fine of 10 to 50 penalty units;Imprisonment for up to eight months; orBothWith one penalty unit currently valued at GH¢12, the fine range works out to between GH¢120 and GH¢600.

That means a practice that might previously have ended when a driver or passenger asked the preacher to stop could now potentially result in a court case and criminal penalties.

Why are preaching and hawking treated together?At first glance, preaching and hawking may appear to have little in common.

One involves religion; the other involves selling goods.

But the road traffic regulations place them together because the concern is not the content of the activity. It is the activity taking place inside a moving public or commercial vehicle.

Both can involve a person moving around the vehicle, speaking loudly, interacting with passengers or occupying the aisle while the vehicle is travelling.

The law therefore approaches both as conduct that can constitute a nuisance in a moving vehicle.

Importantly, the provision is not directed at Christianity or any particular religion. Its wording applies to preaching generally.

What about preachers at lorry parks and markets?The ban does not mean that religious preaching has been prohibited at lorry parks, markets or other public spaces.

A preacher standing at a lorry station with a megaphone and addressing people is not automatically caught by Regulation 141 merely because a bus is nearby.

The specific restriction concerns a public or commercial vehicle while it is moving.

So a preacher may still be seen at transport terminals and markets delivering sermons, provided they are not contravening another law or regulation.

What about a bus that has stopped?The wording of the regulation focuses on a vehicle while it is in motion.

That distinction matters.

The offence is not simply “preaching on a bus.” It is preaching or hawking on a moving public or commercial vehicle.

This means the circumstances in which the activity occurs would matter when determining whether the regulation has been breached.

Why has the practice survived for so long?For years, preaching on buses became part of the everyday experience of public transport in Ghana.

For some passengers, it is an opportunity to hear scripture during a journey.

For others, it can be an unexpected interruption to an otherwise quiet trip.

There are also situations where passengers may feel unable to leave or avoid the sermon because they are travelling in an enclosed vehicle.

The practice has nevertheless remained common despite the existence of the earlier prohibition, partly because enforcement was limited.

The current government says its nationwide sensitisation campaign is intended to change that.

Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe launched the campaign on September 10, 2026, to educate road users about the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act 1153) and the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519).

What is the bigger picture?The controversy over preaching on buses comes at a time when Ghana is introducing a much broader road-safety enforcement regime.

The 2026 regulations introduce tougher sanctions for several traffic offences and provide for automated enforcement through systems such as Traffitech-GH.

The Ghana Police Service began preparations for the October 1 rollout of the automated enforcement system, including nationwide training for personnel.

The government has therefore presented the preaching provision not as an isolated attack on religious activity, but as part of a wider attempt to regulate conduct on Ghana’s roads.

What does this mean for the familiar bus sermon?For generations of passengers, the travelling preacher has been part of the soundscape of Ghanaian public transport.

That could now change.

The next time a preacher boards a long-distance bus, Bible in hand, the question may no longer be whether passengers want to listen or whether the driver will allow the sermon to continue.

It may be whether the preacher is willing to risk a fine, a court case or a possible prison sentence.

And for passengers, drivers and transport operators, the message from the authorities is increasingly clear: once the vehicle is moving, preaching and hawking are prohibited under the road traffic regulations.

The challenge now is enforcement, and how Ghana balances a long-standing public religious practice with the government’s stated objective of safer and more orderly public transport.

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