A note on tro-tros

Visitors to Ghana will likely at some point in their visit experience the tro-tro. Tro-tros are large vans and are the main feature of Ghanaian public transport. They are useful for intercity trips, and for travelling out to smaller towns and villages that don’t benefit from a coach service. They also zip around the streets of Accra, on routes that are more or less unfathomable to the uninitiated.

It is likely that wherever you are in Accra, you will be able to get to another part of the city by tro-tro, even if you have to make one or two changes. They pick up passengers from the roadside, and also at tro-tro stations, the most important of which are Tema Station (in Old Accra), 37 bus station and Circle. Other stations include Tudu Station, Medina and Achimota. 

One of the trickiest things about the tro-tro is working out quite where they are going. The conductor, or the "mate", uses a variety of hand signals to indicate its final destination, and passengers also signal where they are going in order to ensure the tro-tro stops. If you are a visitor and are unsure, the best thing to do is just ask around, and flag down any passing vehicle on the off chance it’s the one you want. If you flag down the wrong one, people are very understanding.

So far, I have managed to work out two hand signals. If the mate is moving his hand in a circular motion, the van is heading to Circle. A pointed finger in the air means the van is just going straight ahead. Abelemkpe to 37 station, for example is pretty much down a long straight road, so I look out for fingers pointed to the sky, and do the same myself, so that the tro-tro knows to stop for me. 

Tro-tros are not the most luxurious form of transport around town. They could probably comfortably seat about 10 passengers, but routinely squeeze in around 22. Most are made up of about 5 rows of seats, each of which sit 3 persons on the main seat, and then an additional person perched on a fold away seat in the aisle (these poor souls are then obliged to get out of the van every time someone behind them wants to disembark). Two other people squeeze in with the driver. The fold away aisle seat immediately behind the driver is reserved for the mate – who collects fares from everyone and then gives everyone their change, apparently without any difficulty recalling who gave him what.  

To say  that tro-tros are rickety is an underestimation. Most appear to have been made from two or more vehicles that have been welded together. During Friday morning’s commute, as we were pulling away from the kerb and the mate was sliding the door closed, the door completely fell off, leaving the driver hanging on to it out of the window while the entire vehicle shouted for the driver to stop. The driver did stop, and the mate - apropos of nowhere - magically produced a large piece of rope and tied the door to a bar on the roof. And off we went.   

Given the limited levels of comfort, and limited levels of vehicle safety (there are no seatbelts on a tro-tro), you may wonder why anyone would ever get in one. The answer is cost. Tro-tros are cheap. The tro-tros around the city have so far cost me between 0.50 and 1.30 cedis (between £0.10 and £0.25). They also, in many respects, feel much safer than getting in a taxi with a driver you don’t know. The presence of a whole van of people looking out for you is very appealing. However, anyone travelling with lots of luggage, or who is taking a long journey and is a fan of leg room, may wish to avoid them.