Police arrest commercial drivers at Tema-Ashaiman Overpass

The Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ashaiman Division of the of the Ghana Police Service yesterday arrested over 20 commercial bus operators who have turned the space beneath the Tema-Ashaiman Overpass along the motorway into a loading bay.

The drivers, who ply the route to Accra, Tema, Abeka Lapaz operate from the unapproved bus stop where they pick and drop off passengers.

The Ashaiman Police Divisional Commander of the MTTD, DSP Isaac Kojo Forson, who led the operations, said the affected drivers would be processed for court after investigations.

Warning

DSP Forson said the police had on several occasions warned the drivers and passengers to desist from using and patronising vehicles that were gradually turning the space beneath the overpass into a lorry park since they posed a great risk but the warnings had not been adhered to.

“We have warned the drivers on several occasions not to park and load under the footbridge because it is a dangerous place where accidents can occur at anytime.

 We have recorded a number of knockdowns at that location and we won’t allow them to continue with that practice,” he said.

He said the arrest and subsequent prosecution of the floating drivers would hopefully deter others from operating in the area and advised passengers to patronise the various designated terminals in the municipality to ensure their safety and comfort.

Some of the drivers who spoke to the Daily Graphic pleaded for pardon while others admitted they were fully aware the area was not an approved bus terminal but had to stop to pick and alight passengers.