Tro Tro

I have been mentioning the tro tro a lot since I got down to Accra, and I thought I would describe what the tro tro is really like to those who have never been in one. Up in Tamale shared taxi’s are much more common as the possible routes that you can took are not that many. In Accra, tro tro’s are the most common way of getting around, and are the most economical.




















For a taxi ride that would cost 50,000 cedis to charter and about 15,000 cedis in shared taxies (which are hard to find and difficult to time), a tro tro will cost you 4000 cedis (and they are always there).

The word tro tro, I was told by Dr. Loco, originates from the era where the actual fare cost three pence in the British currency.

The actual vehicle is a long van (not quite a windstar and definitely not a bus). They can seat anywhere from 10 to 22 people. I was in one with 22 people yesterday. Each tro tro has one entrance. There are rows of seats, usually about four. In each row is one seat in the passenger side that folds up. To get in you climb through the door and duck and slide through the small space into your seat. Most people seem to like being in one of the front rows and near the window on the driver side. If you are going to the end of the line, it is best to be at the end of one of the rows so that you don’t have to maneuver yourself for other passengers to squeeze by you.

Tro tro’s can be caught at stations or along the roadside. They have no signs or particular markings to tell you where they are going. Instead, riders either find the spot where their usual tro tro parks or they rely on the collectors to call out where the vehicle is headed to.

I recall walking down Oxford Street back in July when I first came into contact with a tro tro in Ghana. As the vehicles passed, I would see men hanging out calling at those he was passing “cirq, cirq, cirq”. I now know that he was letting people know that the tro tro was going to Kwame Nkurmah Circle. You also might get a collector yelling out “Teishe”, “Dansoman”, “Accra”, “Rounabout” or “Junction”.

Though it is difficult for the first time rider, it comes to be quite simple to the seasoned rider.

When at the tro tro station, the vehicle sits and waits until it is full. You rarely ever get in a vehicle that will move until it is full. Once full, it is usually a tight fit. If someone smells sweet you may leave carrying their scent, the same can be true of sitting beside someone who decided not to shower that day.

Once the tro tro is moving, there is a collector that will begin to inquire how far you are going and will collect your fare. That same collector is also responsible for opening and closing the door, and often has to jog a few steps to catch the moving tro tro, and slides the door closed as the driver merges (or cuts) into traffic.

When you are in a car, tro tro drivers can be a nuisance as they drive on the shoulders, they cut people off (they don’t usually fear another dent), and they stop suddenly, often blocking traffic. While in a tro tro, I have enjoyed getting through traffic more quickly than usual as I don’t know many people who would drive the way they drive, though I have also felt concerned about our safety. Usually traffic moves too slowly in Accra to worry, but the odd time when the roads permit faster driving you might begin to feel how rickety the tro tro is or have crazy the driver is.

One thing I have to admit is that I really don’t know how tro tro drivers are regulated. By law, each vehicle has it’s own license requirements and tro tro owners have to pay an annual tax that comes with a sticker that is placed on the windshield. From what I have heard, many people who own the tro tro’s allow others to drive them for a daily fee.From the outset, when you sit in that seat, you really don’t know what kind of ride you are about to take. Some drivers are slow and responsible, some are reckless, some are thoughtful and some seem to have other things on their minds besides driving.























Note: I don't know who these people are...just wanted to use the photo of the tro-tro.