Drivers at the Kwabenya, Lapaz, Dome, Kasoa and Madina stations in Accra say for many years they have tried in vain to get answers as to how station managers use the monies they collect.
‘We are not objecting to the payment of station tolls, all we seek are explanations on how the monies are used. This is because there has not been any improvement at the station since we began paying toll,’ says a driver at the Lapaz station.
Taxi drivers at the Madina lorry station pay a toll of GH¢15 a day. ‘We have been paying these monies for years but there have not been any significant upgrading of the station,’ a driver said.
Some drivers at the St. John’s Grammar School and Dome Market stations are saddened and do not see the need to continue paying such monies, more so when the stations still remain filthy and messy.
In spite of all the monies collected, it is a pity to see how some lorry stations in Accra look when it rains. Whenever there is a downpour, people find it difficult to move from one place to another at the stations. The entire place becomes muddy with rubbish strewn all over.
One driver at the Madina Trotro station, Atta Danso, said driving through the streets looking for passengers does not help in making sales for the day.
‘Meanwhile at the station, it is easy to get passengers and we are able to meet our daily sale target on time,’ he noted.
Although many toll collectors at the various stations refused to speak on the matter, sources close to The Mirror revealed that due to lack of supervision and proper account keeping, a huge chunk of monies collected end up in the pockets of the toll collectors.
Mr Sampson Otto, a chief driver at the Madina station, appealed to the Municipal/Metropolitan Assemblies and station managers to make good use of the monies collected as tolls by improving conditions in lorry stations across the country.
By Enoch Nii Aryee Quaye / The Mirror / Ghana
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