By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi
Accra, Dec. 24, GNA – Long queues and extended waits were common across bus terminals in Accra on Christmas Eve as a surge of travelers flocked to catch buses to reunite with their families.
Despite the overwhelming turnout, the supply of buses was insufficient, leading to hours of waiting, and standing.
Frustrated passengers, eyes fixed on the fluctuating flow of vehicles, speculated that the limited buses might be a tactic by drivers to justify higher fares.
In addition to travel challenges, the festive season also brought an increase in pickpocketing, with a thief targeting Miss Abotsi Garmes, businesswoman who was en route to Nandom in the Upper West region.
“When I got here with my taxi, a guy came and helped offload my baggage. I had put my phone in my bag, but because I was focused on my baby, I could not keep an eye on him properly,” Ms. Garmes told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) from the Royal VVIP Station at Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
“When I lifted my bag to take out money and pay the guy, I realized that one of the zips on my bag was damaged.
“The guy was shouting for his money, and I paid him but when I called the number, the phone was switched off. The guy left and I later got to know through the station master that the guy was not a worker at the station, and he was the one who stole my phone,” she said.
Mr. Randy Danso and his wife, traveling to Techiman in the Bono East Region from the Neoplan Station at Circle, spent six hours waiting in a queue for their bus.
Having not visited his hometown in about ten years, Mr. Danso expressed excitement for a joyous Christmas and encouraged Ghanaians to use the festive season to reconnect with their roots.
At the 2M Express Minibuses Station in Circle, 50 travelers anxiously waited for their buses around 1640 hours.
Among them, Abena Kumasi and her friend, who had come to Accra for a programme, shared with GNA that they had been waiting for over three hours to return to Kumasi.
At the Circle STC bus yard, travelers sat in anticipation, unsure of when they would board their buses. The VIP bus terminal was similarly crowded, with an increase in travelers amid a shortage of vehicles.
Nene Asempah III, the First Trustee of the Accra Neoplan Drivers Union Branch, assured the GNA that all passengers at their station would be transported to their destinations.
He added that, as of December 23, they had successfully transported 1,200 passengers from the Neoplan Station.
GNA