Monday 24 June 2013

trotroshow



Dear Sanda,
I want to discuss the transportation system in our beloved country. Have you noticed if you don’t have your own car, or money to pick a cab, then you have to wake up at dawn to join the “trotro” show. I have no choice than to use the “trotro” show, every morning.
Imagine boarding a car in Accra to your place of work and you have to deal with a conductor (mate) who is arrogant, and has not taken his bath for God knows number of days.
A passenger who takes in early morning alcohol and you are the unlucky passenger seated beside him.
Or better still, a passenger who has bad breath or body odour (stench) and he is comfortably sitting close to you.
Better still, you having to seat besides one of this fat individual who takes more than half of the seat you pay for,
Or you depict yourself sitting in the first row of a  three(3)  sitter bus where the conductor normally sits and he takes in an extra person or maybe two with the excuse of (obi bese wa hayaa) i.e. someone will alight in a while.
You sit beside a parent with about three (3) kids and that parent pays for just a seat and you have to end up spacing out for one of the kids to sit, and other times you have to carry one of the kids, and also have to help with the load again.
            Sanda, certain times, you will have to sit beside a very sweaty gentleman who doesn’t have a handkerchief.
            I will tell you what happened to me in recent past. I got a car to school with my two male friends Stephen and Daniel. Very unfortunately i was between Daniel and another gentle man who didn’t have any regard for my health, Sanda we were sitting in the middle seat in the trotro so the young man just placed his hand on the chair in front of us. The young man raised his hands and placed it on the hand of the chair comfortably, odour started emanating from there (his armpit), I tried my best to be a lady but ladyship in this situation will “kill” my sense organs.
            You will be wondering what I did, well I just placed my head close to the window where I can breathe. Since Danny was close to the window, it really wasn’t a problem.
            That is for the private trotro buses. What of the government buses? The Metro Mass Transit (MMT). These individuals pick more than the required number of people for the bus and they take money from all of them. I wonder if the money gets to the government. (Thinking aloud). I tell you I have sat in them too, when you are in a hurry and you don’t have any alternative, when you are between the deep blue sea and the devil, you just join any. It’s not like the other will provide you a better service.
            But Sanda I can vouch for the MMT buses. They are safety first, though you cannot define the safety in some contexts. Stuffing a bus with more people than the bus can take in some situations can breed “God forbid”, certain situations we cannot fathom.
            I once boarded one of these MMT vehicles to University of Education, Winneba  (UEW), I enjoyed my journey. The chairs were very comfortable and i had fun. The driver drove very well, till we got to our destination. The car didn’t breakdown on the road.
           I have boarded some cars from Neoplan to Kumasi and Kintampo. Sanda out of about my 8 trips to Kintampo, only two took me home without the bus breaking down in the middle of the road. I don’t know what to say for my return trips, the bus broke down in the middle of the night; they had to send for a new bus to come convey us to Accra.
            I just wonder why our transportation system is more concerned about the monetary gains, instead of the safety of the passengers. If you see some of this trotro buses, they look so pathetic and rickety, with the owners trying to get the little space left for passengers for more chairs, the money aspect.
           I think if i don’t stop myself, i will go on and on and on. But let me live you with this question. Has a conductor (mate) taken your money (Balance) away with him before?
           I hope the family are doing great.




















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