Pictures of Trotro Buses

A Benz bus circles the Kwame Nkrumah interchange. The arch of the left overhead goes to Achimota, the right steel guilders go to Kaneshie. From the driver's maneuver, he may be going to Achimota, Kanehsie or Neoplan station.

This trotro bus plies a fast highway. The arm thats sticking out of the door is that of the conductor. He has to keep signaling the destination of the vehicle to bystanders. Its important he gestures because if the prospects indicate in advance that they are not going his direction, then they drive on. Stopping can be negative for a driver because other buses can overtake him and mop up more passengers ahead of him.

Trotro buses are cheap transport but can have very comfortable and pleasant looking seats. This seat is captured in a second generation Nissan Urvan bus. Between trips, the conductor wipes the seats and applies some lacquer to retain the sheen. Passengers are very discretionary, or say fastidious, so drivers work to preempt any complaints. Its common to see conductors clean the same seat four times before they pick a lady passenger. Female commuters always put drivers on their marks because they will request for a clean rag, better movies, cozy suspension,  polite conductors, more stops - the list goes on and on.

This Hyundai H100 trotro bus approaches the Danquah Circle.  Its not speeding because the Labone road is laden with passengers. No driver wants to miss opportunities. This bus has a small capacity of about 9 passengers in the coach. It is the second most comfortable vehicle in the trotro service, with luxury and high grade interiors. It has bucket seats, paneled walls and lots of leg room. The most comfortable trotro bus is the Mercedes Vito bus.

These trotro buses meander the side road along the west bound Kwame Nkrumah Circle interchange. The apparent congestion is caused by ongoing works and hawkers who trade along the streets. Roadside vendors are part of the Accra trotro ecosystem.

This trotro bus driver takes it easy as he operates his car stereo. Its very early in the morning so he does not have to worry about city officials. He has parked at the wrong place but its quite permissible for him to do so cos its just the beginning of the day, and traffic is sparse.

This blue Iveco trotro bus is about to take off from the Koala bus stop at Osu.  It has a super roof which makes for airy interior and therefore comfortable for passengers.  Trotro doors do not close immediately after take off because the conductor keeps looking out for passengers till the driver speeds up.

This brown Ford trotro bus just arrived at the stop. The conductor idles around for refill commuters. In urban trotro transport economics, it accrues to the driver if a passenger alights midway because the fellow would have paid for the full journey but gets down for their space to be occupied by another paying passenger. So for one trip, the trotro service gets two payments.

The rear section of a green Sprinter trotro bus is captured from the back seat of a passing bus. The pink canopy in the background is the entrance of Tissot, a luxurious watch retailer and refitter at Adabraka.

This super roof green Iveco trotro bus has stopped at Osu for passengers to alight. Drivers are exceptionally patient because the vehicles have high clearance and may lack an ergonomic side step so the elderly and kids may have to be aided to board or alight. Convenience is considered a luxury in Ghana, not a requirement or mandatory. People are used to improvisation, make shift methodologies and adjustments. Passengers see the trotro bus service as a favor so their demands are moderated and measured. A little discomfort is permissible till it hurts or endangers. Its a symbiotic relationship with the driver because a passenger may also say they dont have the full fare and the driver is bound by culture and humanity to consider the partial fare. This mutual understanding among Ghanaia...

This trotro bus approaches the Danquah Circle. Its south bound to Labadi so it will not make a left or right turn. Its Sunday so traffic is sparse which makes a good turnaround but also bad because it means fewer passengers for the inbound trip.