The State of Public Transport in Accra

Getting from one destination to another has never been stressed on as it is today. With the increase in the Ghanaian population, everyone seems to be in a rush to beat traffic. The number of cars on the road increase by the year.

In this blog, we’ll discuss the state of public transport in Accra — challenges faced by Ghanaians and a new way of travelling which is safe, convenient and affordable.

Road transport is one of the predominant means of commuting in Ghana. Public transport is the most popular means of getting from one place to another. In Ghana, this can be through taxis which is most preferable; trotros which are cheap or buses which are very comfortable but expensive.

While taxis are comfortable and mostly safe, it can also be expensive. A lot of Ghanaians patronize trotros as they are cheap.

Over the years transportation has developed fast in Ghana as the population (both the public and private) struggle to earn a living and contribute to growing the economy. It’s heartbreaking to see Ghanaians rise up early to meet the ‘early morning rush’. It’s a survival of the fittest battle out there as everyone struggles to board a car.

It’s normal to see men, women and children of different ages, groups and class queuing to board a trotro. There’s always the hassle as people employ tactics to board a vehicle. This is something you’ll see on working days either in the morning or evening. The rush seems to reduce in the afternoon as people are mostly at work. But then the cycle continues in the evenings again as people return home.

There are a number of challenges daily commuters experience en route to their destinations. Let’s take for example trotro which is the predominant public transport system in Accra.

A lot of trotros are manned by semi-trained drivers; the state of the car is usually in poor condition and drivers lack adherence to road safety rules.

They mostly comprise “accidents cars” that had been imported into the country, while some are mainly second-hand minibuses and vans that have been rehabilitated into passenger vehicles. There’s also poor ventilation and bad seats which makes the commuter’s journey uncomfortable. Do you remember sitting in a trotro with missing windows and backrests or broken doors? How about the poor ventilation and bad smells? These are all bad experiences one is likely to encounter. It makes travelling unsafe.

There’s also the pain of waiting for it to get full before leaving the station. This makes it hard for commuters to get to their destination on time. These vehicles load passengers from the stations or pick other passengers along the way. The vehicles do not run on schedule, making it difficult for passengers to get to their destination on time. There are also instances of reckless driving which leads to fatal accidents.

In the case of boarding a trotro, a distance that would normally be covered in 30 minutes could take a couple of hours due to traffic, bad road and continuous stopping to pick more passengers. In a dire need to escape these problems, people resort to buying their own cars. This has increased traffic and environmental pollution.

A better solution

What happens to those who can’t afford cars of their own? How do they get to their destination? Is there a safe and affordable way of commuting with little or no stress?

We’ll like to introduce the concept of carpooling as an option Ghanaians haven’t considered yet. It is a new transportation solution in Ghana. For those looking for a safe, convenient and affordable way of travelling, this is an easy way out. It is designed to help people travelling the same route to share their ride. In a simple definition, carpooling (also known as car-sharing or ride-sharing) means sharing a car ride together. It is when several people commute together by car and then share the cost of the journey.

That means no more waiting long hours to board a car; no more getting to work late and spending more on fuel. With carpooling, you can share rides, grow the economy, keep the environment clean, share the cost and manage the stress that comes with commuting long hours.

In conclusion, one can say that the state of public transport in Accra is very poor. Getting to your destination shouldn’t be stressful and inconvenient. Carpooling is a hassle-free, affordable and convenient transport system new in Ghana. Raba Rides is a start-up in the ride-sharing software development industry. The platform is designed to help people travelling the same route share their ride. Our core aim is to create a user-friendly, user-intelligent web platform for the purpose of creating an affordable, safe and comfortable transportation service.

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