PIX: Chief Akwannuasah Gyimah, Asokwa MCE interacting with some of the driver union members during a routine monitoring exercise at the High School Junction terminal

THREE DRIVER Unions namely High School PROTOA Transport Union, Agogo GPRTU and the Heritage Transport Union have unanimously agreed to abide by regulations tabled before them by the Asokwa Municipal Assembly guiding their operations. 

The Unions agreed to henceforth load and drop passengers assigned to their respective lorry terminals.

They also agreed on routes they would load from and where they would drop off passengers.

At a meeting held at the Asokwa Municipal Assembly Offices Tuesday, the Unions promised to abide by the road map and curtail on street picking of passengers and loading as well as parking.

Details:

Earlier in the day, the Police TaskForce led by the Divisional Command had to abandon at midstream an operation they had commenced to force drivers to load and offload at their designated terminals.

This was because of the refusal of some of the drivers to go to the Kyirapatre terminal to commence their operations.

Despite some two months of engagement with the Asokwa Municipal Adhoc Committee on Transport,  the drivers from all the three Unions were doing their own thing in the morning.

But later in the morning, the Unions agreed to a meeting proposed by the MCE for Asokwa, Chief Akwannuasah Gyimah to further deliberate on a new road map to ensure the peaceful operation at all the three terminals especially the yet to be optimally operated Kyirapatre one.

Consensus:

After some 4 hours of discussions at the MCEs office, the Unions decided that would by themselves engage and deliberate to share a common proposal to the Assembly.

This was after some admonitions and guidance offered by the Divisional Commander and the MCE as well as Members of the ASKMA Adhoc Committee.

Chairmen Yaw Afrifa from the High School Junction Protoa union, Samuel Darko from the Unity Oil Heritage Transport Union and Prince Bonsu from the Agogo GPRTU resolved that vehicles plying the routes such as Esreso through to Kuntanase to Bekwai, Santasi, Sokoban, Dompoase Aprabon, Bantama through to Abrepo Junction to Barekese and Roman hill to Kejetia should load from the new Kyirapatre terminal to their final destinations.

They also agreed that, under no circumstance should any Transport union plying any if the routes mentioned above load from any other station within the Municipality aside the Kyirapatre Lorry Terminal.

Signatures:

Signing the undertaking, the three Chairmen from the three Unions as well as their witnesses signed for their respective outfits.

Similarly, the Asokwa MCE, Chief Akwannuasah Gyimah as well as the Coordinating Director, Mr Samuel Owusu-Mensah and Nana Yaw Wiredu, Transport Adhoc Committee Chairman signed on behalf of the Asokwa Municipal Assembly.

Meanwhile, the TaskForce plans a daily patrol of the terminals to ensure strict adherence to the regulations and schedules contained in the undertaking signed by the Unions.

Story By Michael Ofosu-Afriyie, 

Kumasi