Bolgatanga, Oct 11, GNA - The Management of the Metro Mass Transit (MMT) Limited, a transportation company, has introduced what it termed "Operation Show Your Ticket," to ensure that all passengers pay the right fare when travelling on the buses.

Under the system, passengers are expected to ensure that they get their tickets before boarding the bus, failure to do so would attract sanctions including paying 15 times the fare charged or in default be prosecuted. Mr Stephen Abukari, Upper East Regional Manager of MMT said this during a sensitization programme on "Operation Show Your Ticket" in Bolgatanga. Passengers at the various stations where MMT operates were sensitized in all the nine districts in the region.

Mr Abukari entreated passengers who patronized the buses to insist on their tickets upon payment so as to avoid embarrassment. He said it had been observed that most passengers smuggled their way into the buses while some bus conductors took passengers' fare and refused to issue tickets to them thereby cheating the Company. Mr Abukari noted that those negative practices were affecting the smooth running of the Company and that management needed more money to be able to maintain the buses to serve the public effectively. He said management had put in place stringent measures to check malpractices in the Company which included summarily dismissal of workers who cheated the Company.

As part of the sensitization programme, Mr Abukari and a team from Accra visited personalities including the Regional Minister, District Chief Executives and the Paramount Chief of Bolgatanga, Naba Martin Abilba III. Mr Abukari appealed to the political heads and the Paramount Chief to preach the message to their people to ensure they collected a ticket when boarding the buses.

He said the region had 34 MMT Buses, including one that had broken down, and that 10 buses would be added to the number before the end of the year. 11 Oct. 09