Sunyani (B/A), Nov. 20, GNA - The Metro Mass Transit (MMT) Limited, a public-private partnership road transport company is undertaking a nationwide educational campaign on the right of passengers to insist on both boarding and luggage tickets when patronising the company's buses. The crusade dubbed: "operation show your ticket" and programmed to reach all the 10 regional capitals had already covered Tamale in the Northern Region, Bolgatanga and Wa in the Upper East and West Regions respectively since August this year.

Ms. Juliet Molisha Ofori, leader of a three-member project team from Accra, told the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani on Friday that the exercise was meant to inject sanity into the operations of the company for its progress to ensure an improved and satisfactory service delivery to the general public, especially passengers.

She explained Management had reali zed that some dishonest passengers "freely ride on their buses" as they sneaked into the vehicles without the conductors knowledge.

In certain instances some passengers also colluded and connived with the conductors whilst others did not demand ticket due to ignorance adding, there is the need for one to a collect a ticket and keep it till the end of the journey.

The Team Leader disclosed that as a result, "there has been a financial leakage or revenue shortfall of the company in the form of ticketing malpractices for quite a time now".

Ms. Ofori said any passenger caught without a ticket on the bus would pay a fine equivalent to 15 times the original fare or in default be handed over to the Police for arrest and prosecution. She emphasised that the company had come to stay and expand to compliment the government's effort to revitalize the road transport sector. The Team Leader therefore appealed to the general public to cooperate and support the company to stem the tide for the provision of reliable and quality service to the people. 20 Nov.09