sOME of commercial drivers in Kumasi have advocated the removal of Metro Mass Transit buses from parts of the central business district (CBD) of Kumasi and the Central Market High Street to enhance the free flow of vehicular traffic.
They contend that while the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) and traffic wardens of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly were eager to arrest and prosecute trotro and taxi drivers who committed various traffic offences, they always turned a blind eye to operators of the Metro Mass Transit buses.
At a forum organised by the MTTU in collaboration with the Ghana Road Safety Commission to sensitise drivers to the need to respect road traffic regulations, the commercial drivers expressed concern about the disregard of road traffic regulations by Metro Mass Transit drivers who operate at the CBD and the Kajetia High Street.
They contended further that the activities of the Metro Mass Transit drivers did not only create vehicular congestion at the CBD, but also threatened safety on the road.
The forum was attended by executive members of the various transport unions, including the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA), Co-operative Transport Union, King Jesus, Commercial Drivers Union, Unity Transport, Redeemer and ALLTOPS as well as their station masters and other stakeholders.
The drivers raised those concerns during question time after the MTTU Commander, Mr James Sarfo Peprah, and officials of the Road Safety Commission had commented on challenges that undermined road safety in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs, which led to series of accidents and loss of lives and property.
Speaker after speaker wondered why the police were eager to arrest and prosecute commercial drivers, who stopped at vantage points to pick passengers, but allowed operators of the Metro Mass Transit buses to stop and pick passengers at the same spots for which they were harassed.
"They stop on the Kajetia- Bantama road, the Kajetia-Asafo road, Pampaso and other vantage points at the CBD even for longer hours to pick passengers without the police or KMA officers touching any of them but are quick to pounce on us as soon as we stop to pick one or two passengers," they bemoaned.
They contended further that since the Metro Mass Transit buses operated on commercial lines just as the trotro and taxi drivers, the same rules and regulations should also apply in respect of the Metro Mass bus drivers when it came to road traffic offences.
“They compete with us for passengers, but they are allowed to stop anywhere to pick and allow passengers to alight, which gives them unfair advantage over us in terms of daily sales, so it is time they were brought to order to enhance fair competition," they protested.
The drivers suggested that the city authorities should create a terminal for the Metro Mass Transit buses similar to the the State Transport buses to avoid the tension, which was building up between the transport owners and their rivals.
The Public Relations Officer of the KMA, Mrs Jemima Nancy Asare, referred the Daily Graphic to the managers of Metro Mass Transit buses, when she was asked to comment on the complaints of the commercial drivers but efforts to reach them proved futile.
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