For thousands of workers in Accra, the end of the working day signals the beginning of another kind of work; one that is even more challenging than their daytime work.
This new type of work is the challenge of overcrowded transport terminals, long queues, increased and traumatising fares, and untidy and rickety mini-commercial buses commonly called trotros.
At major terminals, such as those at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, commercial vehicles fill up quickly during the evening peak periods, leaving many commuters with little choice but to pay fares above the approved rates or stand in queues long into the night as if they were running a night shift.
Many passengers say the situation is not only decreasing their rest and sleep time, but also worsening the financial pressures they already face amid the rising costs of food, rent, utilities and other necessities.
For Akosua, a front-desk executive who commutes daily between Circle and Dome, the additional transport costs, which she must pay in order to get home before midnight, consume a significant portion of her scanty monthly income.
She earns GH¢2,500 a month. While the approved daytime fare is GH¢35, she says the fare often rises sharply to GH¢50 during the evening rush hours.
Over a 22-working-day month, she spends about GH¢1,870 on transport alone to prevent spending hours at the trotro terminal and malaria from mosquito bites.
After paying about GH¢800 for rent and utilities, what is left is for food, health care and other essential expenses.
“I leave work around 5 p.m., but getting home to Dome is another challenge.
Sometimes, the fare goes up simply because everyone is trying to get home at the same time.
By the time I get home, I have spent far more than I budgeted and am also exhausted, not from my work, but from the stress of struggling for trotro and the journey home,” Akosua lamented.
Students affected
Students are also feeling the impact of the involuntary nighttime work and the arbitrary fare increases. Adom, a student at the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC), commutes daily between Dome and Circle. She said she depended on financial assistance from relatives and friends because she has no regular source of income.
According to her, although the approved fare on her route is GH¢6.50, passengers are often charged between GH¢20 and GH¢30 during evening peak periods. “A journey that should normally cost me about GH¢25 to and from can rise to nearly GH¢50 because of the peak evening fares,” she said.
Drivers, vehicle owners
Commercial drivers acknowledge passengers’ concerns and complaints about the fare hikes and long queues at some major terminals in the nation’s capital, but argue that increased operating costs make the situation difficult for them too.
Mr Alex Boakye, a driver on the Circle-Dome route, said heavy evening traffic significantly increased fuel consumption, while reducing the number of trips drivers can complete.
“Traffic on the Dome road during the evening is very heavy.
We spend more time in traffic, consume more fuel and make fewer trips before the day ends,” he explained.
Vehicle owners also attribute the situation to rising operational costs, bad roads and undue congestion in Accra.
Mr Albert Tetteh, who manages more than 50 commercial vehicles, said many commuters were unaware of the financial obligations involved in running public transport services.
He explained that from each vehicle’s daily revenue, the owner receives a fixed sales target of GH¢450, while additional amounts are used to purchase fuel and cover vehicle maintenance, insurance, roadworthiness certification and replacement of worn-out parts, with the rest shared between the driver and the mate.
The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) says intentional delays and arbitrary fares are not permitted under the existing fare regime and drivers’ code of conduct.
It said no driver, vehicle owner or transport terminal was authorised to introduce unilateral fare adjustments, apart from the nationally approved fares by the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC).
Position
In an advisory to transport operators, the General Secretary of the GPRTU, Mr Godfred Abulbire, urged operators to maintain the approved fares.
“All road transport operators, unions, associations, drivers, vehicle owners and loading point managers are requested to maintain the existing approved fares and refrain from implementing unilateral fare adjustments,” he stated.
The union has further directed station managers and its task forces to work with the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) to ensure compliance and sanction operators who charge unapproved fares.
Transport operators identify heavy traffic congestion as the major factor contributing to the problem.
Every evening, roads linking central Accra to residential communities, such as Dome, Kasoa, Weija, Kwashieman, Abokobi, Tema, and many other areas, experience severe congestion as workers and students return home.
The delays increase fuel consumption and reduce the number of trips commercial vehicles can make.
Stakeholders believe expanding mass transit services, improving traffic management, upgrading road infrastructure and enforcing transport regulations could help address the situation.
Until such measures are implemented, many commuters say the daily journey home will continue to be another work after work and also place additional pressure on their already strained finances.
