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The Yendi-Zabzugu road in the Northern region is in a deplorable state and continues to worsen daily. The 28 miles stretch of unpaved road has been neglected by successive governments compelling the people of Zabzugu, Tatale and its surrounding communities to put their lives at risk each time they travel on the road.
Commuters on the road described the current state of the road as a death trap and stated that persistent failure by governments to upgrade it as unfair to the people in that part of the country. They said traveling on the road was akin to walking bare footed on sharp nails as every part of the road has become unmotorable as a result of unavoidable potholes. And in the dry seasons communities along these roads are covered with dust, they added.
As if that is not enough, people said buses plying the road are frequently overloaded with passengers who have no other recourse. Loading boys or station conductors from all indications, care less about the consequences, all they care about is their commissions, they lamented.
The GPRTU in the region has not been effective in enforcing laws and punishing those transport conductors who flout its laid down rules and regulations. Before the creation of the Tatale district in 2012, passengers from Zabzugu and Tatale used State-own transport(Metro Mass Transit) which was very punctual departing or arriving at its destination
Boarding this bus was also a “survival of the fittest” and “whom you know” at the station in spite its ticketing policy. Even though the Ghana Private Transport Union of the Trade Union Congress (GPRTU of TUC) stationed buses for the people, the sprinter buses are generally not safe and one will only board it without alternative. They are indeed not road worthy. The question on the minds of commuters is how did these vehicles obtain road worthy certificates?
The state-owned transport was safe. However, the GPRTU has no customer service representative to help passengers with their problems. Those who were around to help did not. They largely ignored passengers and only hurled insults when asked to help. For the GPRTU members who ply the deplorable roads in the northern region such as Tamale-Gushegu and Karaga road, Yendi-Zabzugu, Tamale-Salaga and Kpandai it is an opportunity for them to exploit the most vulnerable for money.
Unlike western world where passengers have rights and can demand better services they have paid for, Ghana's transport system, is a whole different world in which the driver, conductor and in some instances the mate are the only people who are right.
The GPRTU members have not learnt any lesson from the State Transport Company (STC) which used to be a darling to the Ghanaian travelling public. But its poor management practices nearly caused it to collapse. Business oriented people upon realizing its inefficiency capitalize on it and have made the sector a keenly competitive one. The transport sector is vast and rich with potential for competitive markets and investments.
Another lesson to learn in the local transport sector is the current emergence of tricycle trotro motors which have almost pushed taxi drivers out of business in most parts of the Tamale metropolis. These taxi drivers just like any other private transport owner had all the time and chance to make things right but waited for competition to set in. The woes of these unscrupulous transport owners will continue to worsen if they don't learn to treat commuters right.
The only reliable transport companies in the early 90s were Tata and STC but Tata went out of business leaving STC to struggle with Imperial transport which uses Scania buses. V.I.P, V.V.IP, O.A GH Express and DKM are other private transportation companies, the movers and shakers, giving the STC a run for its money.
