“Private Conductors”, not agents of police

The Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) A. Fosu-Ackaah, has said that the police have no links with the young men who usually operate at bus stops and other loading points.

Though these ‘self-appointed bus stop overseers’ are considered a nuisance by a section of the public, they seem to have become regular features at all loading points wielding a lot of authority.

They mostly shout at the top of their voices to attract passengers and aggressively direct them to board specific vehicles for a small fee. Some of them even prevent vehicles from loading at “their bus stops”.

In an interview with The Mirror, ACP Fosu-Ackaah said there had not been any complaint about their activities from any group or individuals and so he could not say whether their being there was illegal or not.

“If there hasn’t been any report about them on any vices, we can’t arrest them or stop them from being there”, he said.

He said the fact that some of them were seen chatting with the police at certain spots did not mean they were working with them.

They call themselves porters but most people call them “private conductors”.

Their way of dressing and aggressive nature make people feel very insecure around them at bus stops.

Contrary to this perception, some of them who spoke to The Mirror said they were there for the good of the people by protecting them from thieves while they waited for vehicles to their destinations.

In an interview, 22-year-old Gideon Kudjo, a senior high school graduate and a former driver who is stationed at Atomic Junction in Accra, attributed his being into it because of joblessness.

He said instead of begging for money or engaging in robbery, he decided to hustle at bus stops where some drivers and passengers dashed him “something small” for his daily bread.

“Aside loading for the buses, we carry heavy luggage of travellers for a fee”, Kudjo said.

Kudjo, who aspires to be a soldier someday, was quick to add that until he was able to save enough money to go back to school or get a good job, he would continue to hustle at bus stops.

“Most people think we are thieves or wee smokers, but we are here to help our fellow men for something small. It is better than robbery”, Ali Wadragu, 26, also pointed out.

He said due to the kind of job they did, they were not able to save enough to start a trade, hence, lived from hand-to-mouth.

For them, work begins at 6 a.m and ends at 5 p.m depending on the location and how good the day goes.

On bad days and weekends, especially, they report to work at 9a.m and close at 2 p.m.

Wadragu, who has been in the job for close to three years, said for the reason that they often worked at bus stops and other busy locations, they had developed some kind of rapport with the police.

“We are able to report a driver for wrong parking or over-loading to the police, especially when they refuse to give us money after helping them to load”, he said.

These private conductors make up to GHC30 to GHC40 daily, but on bad days, GHC15 to GHC20.

He said just like every job had certain challenges, bus conductors also faced some challenges.

For them, they normally developed headaches or lost their voice as a result of the shouting and the scorching sun.

In an interview with the GPRTU Chairman of the Accra Tema Station, Mr William Ocquaye, he said the association had nothing to do with the private conductors .

“They are always there and their number will increase because the drivers and their mates entertain them and always give them money”, Mr Ocquaye said.

However, he added that such people might be harmful to passengers, drivers and their conductors.

While most drivers, pedestrians and passengers The Mirror spoke to expressed their dislike for these private conductors, others were also of the view that they were very helpful.

Most of the floating commercial drivers, especially, appreciated the presence of these private conductors as they sometimes helped them to get passengers to board their vehicles for a fee.

Elijah Osei, a trotro driver who operates on Kasoa - Lapaz route , said the young men often helped the mates to get passengers quickly.

Mr Osei also added that when drivers did not have mates, they were contracted and paid at the end of the day.

“It is better for them to load for us to give them something small than for them to engage in social vices”, Mr Osei added.