VIP Buses Now Market Place

That the comfort, peace, reliability and safety in traveling on a VIP bus to any party of Ghana particularly the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi, is gradually waning as a result of the activities of hawkers is an understatement.

Indeed, not only have hawkers invaded the VIP bus terminal in Kumasi, they have taken advantage of the accommodating posturing of managers of the local transport company and have turned the hitherto serene and cozy interior of the buses into hawking site.

These aggressive traders, unmindful of the implications their activities pose to travelers, have turned the plush air condition buses mostly in Accra and Kumasi into mini-markets where they sell all manner of items to people onboard a VIP bus.

Months of investigations by The aL-hAJJ have uncovered how some drivers of the VIP buses have devised strategies to stop at vantage spots along the Kumasi-Accra highway where their alleged girlfriend-traders hop into the buses to sell their products to passengers. While some passengers are said to have bitterly complained about the dangers and threats inherent in the practice which is gradually swelling, managers of the local transport company, particularly the drivers seem to encourage the practice with glee.

Speaking to The aL-hAJJ in a roaring tone, a regular user of VIP buses who does not want his name mentioned stated, “some are selling watches, others are selling fried rice “takeaway…” some are also selling boiled egg, recharge cards, plantain chips, watches, footwear, underwear and other things. Who is actually responsible for this? The risks are too many, we are talking about peace, comfort and safety; that is why one will choose to travel in a VIP Bus so what is happening?”

Worse of all, some of the hawkers, especially those who deal in foodstuffs, display their products on some of the seats while a bus is in the process of loading, and at the process stain the seats with oil and other things. “When the bus is at the terminal for passengers to board, all manner of hawkers enter to sell their goods. They then start competing among themselves over whose voice is the loudest to draw attention to their products, and in the cause of this they turn the bus into noisy area like the Asafo or Makola markets”. “The same episode is repeated whenever the buses stop on their way to and from Accra. When a bus stops at ‘TECH’ junction, all manner of people rush onto it to peddle their wares with impunity. And you know what, there is nobody in the bus to check who is a genuine hawker, spy or armed robber,” a frustrated passenger told The aL-hAJJ.

Interestingly, these activities are also repeated in the nights, especially at designated filling stations along the Kumasi-Accra road where hawkers know the drivers will stop for passengers to urinate or visit place of convenience.

An overly peeved passenger made this startling allegation “my investigation shows that some of the drivers have girlfriends who sell on the Kumasi-Accra stretch so they stop at designated places for their goods to be bought…even if you tell a driver to stop for you to urinate, ease yourself or buy something, they won’t mind you unless they get to where their girlfriends are stationed. That practice is very dangerous because there are no police barriers at most of the places where they stop.”