MMT Drivers Accused

Residents of Mepe, Battor, Aveyime and their adjoining communities in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region are bracing up against what they described as a complete �abuse of the Road Safety Regulatory Act � by the drivers and conductors of the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMT) buses operating from Mepe to Accra. The distraught residents, Today gathered are angry because the efforts being made by them to stop the MMT bus drivers and their conductors from overloading have yielded no results. The reason, Today established aroused from the previous incident which occurred at Koni-Kablu near Dawa in the Dangme East District of the Greater Accra Region on August, Monday 16, 2010 when a MMT bus, with registration number AS 6059-10 travelling from Mepe to Accra crashed into a stationary truck, with registration number TG 6907 AH, parked on the shoulders of the road. Sadly fifteen (15) people in the MMT bus were killed on the spot, while four others including a final year student of the University of Ghana (UG), Legon Gebriel Agbenyo Akorlor and Station Officer of Mepe Police Station Chief Inspector Hlorlewu died later on admission at the Battor Roman Catholic Hospital. And what has accounted for that worrying incident, Today learnt has primarily been as a result of overloading of people into the bus, indiscipline on the road , ignorance and lack of coordination among the passengers and MMT bus driver, Mr. Samuel Asamoah. However, that worrying incident which has created panic and fear among the residents had since not been forgotten by the residents hence their decision to, as a matter of urgency draw the attention of the government of President John Dramani Mahama to the latest misconduct of MMT bus drivers and their conductors. �When this heartbreaking incident occurred that fateful date the government officials led by the former Minister of Transpot, Mr. Mike Hammah including the then former Managing Director of MMT Dr. Maxwell Awuku only rushed to the scene and promised to launch full scale of investigstion into the incident but to no avail,� the residents noted. According to the residents, they have reported the misconduct of MMT bus drivers and their conductors to the management of MMT and Aveyime Division of Ghana Police Service to call them to order and wondered why the two have not taken any action to avert the situation. The residents indicated that they foresee a looming accident as a result of overloading of the passengers by the MMT buses in the area and called on government to institute measures to address the matter in order to save lives. They went to state that: �It is sad to reveal that other passengers on board the MMT bus, who sustained various degrees of injury during the incident in 2010 are still responding to medical treatment.� The visibly worried residents argued that: �if indeed government through the former Transport Minister, Mr.Hammah, who was at the scene to get first-hand information, bemoaned the spate of road accidents which, he said, cost the country more than $16.5 million annually then the government should immediately institute contingency measures to address this worrying situation.� The residents pointed out that the road traffic accidents, apart from costing the nation huge revenue, is also the cause of low productivity, thereby retarding the country�s development agenda. That, they said, was impacting negatively on the country�s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and charged motorists to adhere to road safety regulations. To this end the residents called on government to ensure a full implementation of the Road Safety Regulation, saying that it is the responsibility of government to ensure a reduction in road accidents in the country. Meanwhile when Today contacted the Operations Manager of MMT Mr. Frank Yeboah, via telephone he expressed shock about the misconduct of MMT bus drivers and their conductors operating from Accra to Mepe. Mr. Yeboah was unhappy about this criminal act of MMT bus drivers and conductors saying that the conduct of the drivers was �complete conflict of interest and assured the MMT management�s commitment to investigate the matter�. He told Today that management of MMT would not only conduct investigations into the matter but also feed the public with the outcome of its investigation and called on the residents to remain calm in the face of the situation. Mr. Yeboah used the opportunity to warn passengers not to join or stand in any of MMT bus when it was full to its capacity.