Motor tricycles appear to have taken over the work of taxis and commercial intracity buses otherwise known as ‘trotro” at Aboabo and other communities in the Asokore Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti region.
This did not use to be the trend until last year when their operations gained some acceptance in the community.
The tricycles have been given several names including ‘Pragia’ a name in the most watched Akan translated Indian telenovela ‘Kumkum Bhagya’.
Others call it ‘Mahama Camboo’ because a government programme under the John Dramani Mahama administration introduced the tricycles as loans.
In Aboabo however, these bikes are predominantly called ‘Adedeta’.
My first ride in an ‘Adedeta’ was an adventure, a bit uncertain of my fate in the beginning but after a few meters away sandwiched between two ladies, I sort of relaxed and enjoyed the ride.
My rider AlhajiGali admitted he was making quite a good living out of his tricycle business.
“I have made ten trips just this morning. I am able to keep at least fifty cedis every day. I bought this tricycle for 12 thousand cedis and I have recovered the cost one year after buying it,” he narrated.
In a few minutes, we arrive at the Adedeta Station within the main Aboabo transport station where over four hundred of these tricycles converge.
They ply several directions including Asokore Mampong, Race Course, Doctor Mensah, Asawase, Sawaba, Sepe and Booban.
The station master Mubaryis Mohamed told Ultimate News, part of his mandate is to ensure that his members adhere to road regulations and ride passengers safely.
“We meet every Friday to remind our riders about how to ride their machines safely. One thing the police keeps asking us is for driving licences and for now I can confidently say about 50% of my riders have now gotten their licenses.”
But Taxi Drivers in Aboabo are not so enthused about this trend because they complain the tricycle taxis have taken away their passengers.
One of such disgruntled drivers is Abubakare Yusuf, a driver who works from the Aboabo traffic light taxi station.
He complains, “A passenger sitting in my taxi can alight and join the tricycle because the rider can afford to move with just two passengers. When he buys one gallon of petrol, he can ride the whole day. Since morning some of us have not made a single trip.
They can also drive past traffic jams because they are small. They don’t also pay Insurance and other levies we pay.
Residents of the area who are predominantly Northerners however contend the tricycles are faster and more convenient to the conventional forms of commercial passenger transportation.
A man who just alighted with a load from the tricycle stated, “I have used it for three months now. It’s just four passengers like the taxis. But it’s faster and better.
Another woman also admitted, “I think it is safer and faster. The taxis and ‘trotros’ make too many stopovers for passengers. But these tricycles don’t do that and they will also stop anywhere you want to alight because they are small.”
Meanwhile, the Ashanti regional manager of the National Road Safety Commission Engineer Samuel Asiamah insists tricycles have not yet gotten legal permission to be used for commercial passenger transport.
“Most of these are determined and regulated by the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority. They are licensed to carry passengers on private purposes. The unfortunate thing is that people use them for commercial activities.”
He however insists the police and other regulatory bodies are now more focused on adherence to road traffic regulations than checking whether or not the passengers have paid money to join them.
By: Ghana/Ultimatefmonline.com/106.9FM/Ivan Heathcote-Fumador
The post A/R: Tricycles take over commercial transport in Aboabo appeared first on Ultimate FM.
Motor tricycles appear to have taken over the work of taxis and commercial intracity buses otherwise known as ‘trotro” at Aboabo and other communities in the Asokore Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti region. This did not use to be the trend until last year when their operations gained some acceptance in the community. The tricycles […]
The post A/R: Tricycles take over commercial transport in Aboabo appeared first on Ultimate FM.
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