STORY: ACHINAKE FATAW
Commercial drivers plying the Circle-Nsawam road in Accra are being manhandled by some ?macho-men? around the Achimota old station section of the road.
A visit by this paper to the area revealed these macho men try to apprehend drivers who attempt picking up passenger from the old station.
The well built men told this reporter that allowing the recalcitrant drivers to operate at the old station would reduce the number of passengers who use the new Achimota station, thereby causing unnecessary delays for passengers who want to use the new station.
The macho men argue that some of the drivers have decided not to heed to repeated calls on them to work at the new station, stressing that they would want to work as free commercial drivers and not tied to any station.
Drivers who allow commuters to board their vehicles at the bus stop are charged GH? 50.00 before being allowed to go.
This reporter encountered a scene where a culprit refused to pay the fine; his car tires ended up being locked-up with a metallic wheel-locker. This was after an almost bloody confrontation between him and the macho men who are believed to be working with the station authorities.
Some drivers who had fallen victim to these macho men before argue that their refusal to pay the fines stems from them doubting where the monies paid would end up; thus whether in the individual?s pocket or the Union?s coffers.
Interestingly, this reporter discovered that taxis are however, allowed to take as many passenger as possible from the same location, only after paying a small fee to these station vigilantes.
The vigilantes argue that the new station does not have similar taxis plying the same route, hence their decision to allow the taxis to load passengers at the old station.
Some passengers however, decried this practice, relaying that the taxis charge exorbitant prices and would therefore prefer boarding the public buses (trotro).
This paper observed that passengers who were not aware of this development continue to stand at the old bus stop to get their transportation but end up finding it difficult to get a vehicle to board.
