TAMALE is one of Ghana’s fastest growing cities due largely to its central location, linking the north to the south.
Apart from an increase in population, retail businesses, hospitality industry, banking and insurance, telecommunications and many other sectors have equally witnessed significant growth.
One would therefore expect that the transport sector would be the beneficiary of such growth due to increased mobility, both intra-city and inter-city.
However, this appears not to be the situation for the intra-city transport operators.
According to Taxi drivers in the Tamale metropolis, business has rather been declining and this they blame on the increased availability of cheaper private means of transport and lower income levels.
Tamale may not be a city of cars, but it definitely is a city of motorbikes. Many households in the city have at least a motorbike, which is used to facilitate movement to and from work, shopping and other endeavours.
The motorbikes come if various forms, notably scooters, mopeds, standard bikes, cruisers, touring bikes and dual-purpose bikes.
The most popular are the scooters, which have come to be known in Tamale as ‘mapouka’ bikes. These bikes are fashionable, inexpensive, low-fuel consuming and easily movable.
Due to these features, the taxi drivers said the residents had become used to riding instead of using vehicles.
“Even those who do not have motorbikes borrow those of others,” stated Richard Abu, a taxi driver.
In interview, the Chairman of the Taxi-Trotro branch No.1 of the GPRTU, Mr Abdul-Razak Mahama confirmed the complaint of the drivers, but attributed the poor patronage of taxis to low income.
“A lot of our people earn very little and therefore cannot afford being transported by taxis,” he explained.
Mr Mahama said he was optimistic that Tamale would soon become a major city, which would attract investments, create employment and increase the incomes of residents.
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