Accra trotro transport services in the city ply all major roads. They are found parked at their designated terminals where they wait for longer periods for passengers to board or at street sides during stops along a route. These buses are owned by the drivers or belong to transport investors. The coaches have an average seating capacity of 14 passengers.
Accra trotro buses mainly belong to Unions and the most prominent amongst them are the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Ghana Co-operative Transport Association (GCTA) and Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA). Aside driver and owner welfare, these Unions provide various administrative and operational services for their membership. The auto transport companies act as the liaison between the government and the individual members. Trotro buses provide both Long haul and short trip commuters in the city. They are typically filled up in the early mornings and evenings and then thinned out in the afternoons.
The buses are concentrated on routes leading to residential, industrial, commercial, office and educational areas which locations provide the bulk of the transport services. Trotro buses in Accra provide cheap car transport for about 70% of its population. The fare for a ride is about half of that of a taxi. It therefore allows for the convenience of low-earning commuters who would need to make routine trips throughout the year. People new to the city as well as tourists also use this cheap car transport to explore Accra to get to know what the city offers or how it looks like. Accra trotro bus routes follow municipal transport lines but gravitate towards dense and low income neighborhoods.
All suburbs have trotro services except a few upscale enclaves where the operators find it uneconomical to ply. Accra trotro stops are concentrated in the south and east sections of the city and dwindle in the north and west. Trips exceeding 10 kilometers are usually serviced by coaches which make fewer stops once they depart from the stations. Bus fares are paid during boarding and leaves when full – not by schedule.
