The ticket that swerved me

If you patronise public transportation in Ghana (especially MMT), you understand the frustrations one can go through.

Buses poorly maintained. Passengers being taken for granted. Blah blah blah.

Yesterday, I had to travel from Kumasi to Sunyani  and decided to pick a MMT bus. The queue I met can only be described as $$##_++@?@&@%@+*!!!

After being in the queue for a long while, a bus arrived. Then I heard my name being shouted after a while. It was a friend who had bought an extra ticket for me! Hmmm, how bad I felt (because I detest folks jumping the queue).

Well I boarded the bus only to realise 'my' ticket had not been bought. Oh charley!
The smart move wasn't so smart after all.

I just got off the bus, and had to move to Kejetia to pick a cosmo jet.

The CUCG -- Improved Transport

Since moving to their permanent site in August 2008, the Catholic University College of Ghana has been plagued with a number of challenges. Paramount among them (was) their access road.

A number of pleas have been made to the government and other agencies to come to the institution’s aid and help develop its access road. Thankfully due to a Cocoa Farmers’ Funding Project, the road has been given a face-lift to the joy of not just the university community, but the people of Fiapre (the locality within which the CUCG is sited). Thanks to J. Adom Company Limited – a very good and efficient construction firm based in Sunyani.

Prior to the construction, transportation was a very big issue to students. Drivers refused to ply the road because of its bad nature. Most of them complained of how the road had adverse effects on their vehicles. The school buses were also breaking down constantly. This affected academic work as some students were late for lectures.

It was really heartbreaking to see students on foot after lectures.

Thanks to the contract, transportation has improved. Now I pick a cab from town to the school’s junction, and the driver will ask, “Mi nfa mu nk) campus?” (Can I take you to the campus?). Interesting. A bit funny. There’s even a union of drivers for the CUCG campus! Yes, really.

But these drivers need education. Most of them drive carelessly because of the enhanced road. We do not want accidents on our road!

The community is grateful to the institution(s) that played (and still play) a major role in the project.
Mawu ne yra miakata. Nyame nhyira mu. W) nunts) ni y) ngwE adz) nyE. God bless you.

Plight of travellers

The sharp increase in fares due to the increase in fuel prices is a phenomenon we’ve come to accept.
However, some people are using that as an excuse to ‘dupe’ and frustrate desperate travellers.
Yesterday, 8th January, I travelled from Accra to Sunyani with a GPRTU Yutong bus with registration number GC4801Z.
Before the vehicle arrived, passengers were in a queue. A man later came to announce the arrival of the bus and started selling tickets for GH¢21 instead of the actual fare of GH¢19. After some protest from passengers, another man came and began to sell the tickets for the normal fare. We were later informed the bus was full and the tickets finished – the rest of us in the queue were disappointed.

Surprisingly, a young man approached me and said he had a ticket for GH¢25 and that I should buy it. I was reluctant but seeing the four people in front of me being sold tickets for GH¢20 – and the need for me to get to Sunyani before nightfall – I obliged.
Now I had to pay for my luggage and was charged a hefty fee – as expected – no complain there. What actually got to me was the fact that after being charged for the luggage, I had to pay the one tagging the luggage GH¢1!
I really don’t know what is happening at the GPRTU station in Accra (Neoplan station at Circle), but I’d advice the leaders to check the frustration passengers go through and the way moneys are being extracted from them.