The Kaneshie Market Association (KMA) has requested government to consider introducing the rapid mass transport system to ease the transportation difficulties facing commuters particularly market women.

The association argued that deficiencies in the nation’s transportation system was holding back economic activities through increased cost, sluggish productivity and extortions at various authorized and unauthorized bus terminals.

Ms Eva Maison, Secretary to the KMA, who made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the impact of the budget on market activities on Friday, noted that reliable transportation system like the rapid mass transport would relieve passengers of such challenges.

Ms Maison said it was very important for government to think through the idea of initiating the system in Ghana to address the issue of arbitrary fare charges by transport operators anytime a budget statement was presented.

She the issue of arbitrary fare charges must be addressed since it adds up to the cost of food items and other products at the markets, saying “women who are predominantly engaged in trading faced the difficulty of transferring cost to the final consumer”.

She said the introduction of the rapid mass transport system would bring fair competition in the transport sector, and subsequently force rickety vehicles out of the system.

Ms Maison noted that women play a crucial role in the trading activities and called on the government to consider their request and introduce the rapid mass transport system.

Meanwhile, a cross section of ‘trotro’ drivers plying the Amasaman-Accra central route are accusing the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) of extortions at the Achimota old station when they pick up passengers at the bus terminals.

The drivers told the Ghana News Agency that one of their colleagues was held up for over 40 minutes by a contingent of men wearing AMA embossed uniforms, when he picked a passenger at the Achimota-Accra end of the terminal.

Mr Nyame Darko, a 207 Benz Bus Driver, said the activities of the said AMA officials were inconveniencing commuters and drivers, saying that “sometimes they hold you up for one hour until you give them GHC 20 or 30 before one is released”.

Madam Akosuah, a passenger said the situation was awfully worrisome considering that sometimes workers reporting for duty were delayed and that “the AMA need to do something about it”.