Brawl in trotro over president’s directive to restore seating capacity

Right after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced that commercial vehicles can revert to their old way of operations, transport operators have implemented the directive.

This new directive has not gone well with Ghanaians, especially passengers as not long ago, transportation fares were increased in the name of social distancing and the hike of fuel prices at the time.

In a video captured by GhanaWeb, both a bus driver and his conductor are seen in a heated argument with passengers as the former like other trotros, still take the new transport fares with the normal seating capacity amidst the fight against COVID-19.

These angry-looking passengers called on the conductor to explain to them why they've reverted to the old system and yet still take the new fares despite a policeman confirming to all that the directive takes effect August 1, 2020.

Sharing their grievances to GhanaWeb, one of the passengers indicated that “The driver and his mate said they will take the new fare irrespective of the fact that they have reverted to the old system. We also disagree with them."

“The fares must be reduced if they want to have the full seating capacity,” another said.

The brawl blew out of proportion when the driver, instead of explaining to the passengers spewed out insults, describing the them as “foolish people”.

Passengers in a rebuttal said “How dare you insult us. Did you go for the car to serve goats?”.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) has on Monday, July 27, 2020, called on commercial transport operators to reduce their fares immediately as they return to taking passengers at full seating capacity.

COPEC in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Duncan Amoah, suggested that the recent fare increases could be slashed by 5% “since fuel price variance as at this point remains positive by at least a further 12% from the pre-COVID-19 lockdown period.”