Most passengers who use the Neoplan Station near the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange when traveling have refused to use the services of the luggage porters there for fear of getting their valuables stolen.
According to some passengers who spoke to Citi Business News, the appearance and demeanor of the porters deter them from patronizing their services.
“If you offer to give them your bags they will carry it but I don’t do that because they will run away with your bags the moment you take your eyes off them. And you cannot trace them,” a passenger told Citi Business News’ Nana Oye Ankrah.
Hundreds of people use the Neoplan Station to travel from the capital, Accra, to various parts of the country. A typical traveler in Ghana would go with not less than two huge luggage. Moving those bags from home is not difficult, the problem is when travelers have to get the bags to the vehicles they are travelling on at the Neoplan Station.
This is because private vehicles as well as taxis are not allowed into the station. Only vehicles that go on long journeys are permitted entry. Therefore, travelers have to pack or alight at a bus stop near the terminal and carry their bags to the station.
Some men have therefore turned the movement of bags to the station into a business.
At least three of them will run towards the boot of the vehicle once the vehicle packs at the bus stop and try to carry the bags even before the passengers get to the boot.
They then find out where the passengers are going and offer their services.
One of them, 48-year-old Yaw Manu who is married with 4 children started carrying people’s bags when he was 12. He says the business although challenging has improved his life tremendously.
“I have been doing this business for about 30 years now. This is what I do to take care of my family. Those of us here do not steal but we are tagged because once in a while people from outside come and steal the bags,” he said.
Most of them get to work as early as 3 am to catch up with dawn travelers and mostly close after midnight.
Abraham lost his job with a construction company.
He makes about 30 cedis a day by carrying bags and has some savings
” when we escort them, we ask them to give us what they want and some are very generous. Some give us as much as Ghc10. However, some don’t appreciate us,” he stated.
Nana Kofi Dankwa agrees the business is not that bad but wishes for a better job.
“I am doing this job because of the mistakes I made in the past and because I don’t want to steal. Government can help us with better jobs,” he expressed.
However, most passengers stop the porters from even touching their bags.
Madam Betty Haizel travels to her hometown Kade in the Eastern Region almost every weekend. For her, she will not use the loaders for just one reason.
” I don’t like those boys. They are not neat. They look very dirty. They look like people on drugs. I just don’t trust them with my valuables,” she said.
Nana Kofi also agrees their appearance is a turn off for clients but says the situation beyond their control.
He said: “I know we have to look neat but it is not our fault. We don’t even have a place to sleep and where we are, they steal our things all the time so you can’t buy new clothes”.
The appearance of the loaders is a concern to drivers and station officers, however, that is not the only problem they have with them. The aggressive attitude and their exorbitant charges also worries them.
“They will not tell the travelers how much they will take only to get here and charge exorbitant fees. This causes misunderstandings between them and travelers all the time,” Nana Yaw Gyebi lamented.