Wa, March 16, GNA - Residents of the Wa Municipality have hailed the introduction of the Metro Mass Transit Service, describing it as the panacea to the frequent arbitrary increases in "trotro" and taxi fares in the area. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency during a visit to the bus terminals, a number of residents said the arrival of the buses was an indication that the government was living up to its commitments of ensuring that no region or area was left out of its development agenda.

"Apart from the moderate fares, the drivers and conductors are courteous to passengers," said one Jirapa bound passenger. The residents expressed the hope that more buses, which could withstand the bad roads in the Region, would be brought to augment the current fleet to ply the long distance routes. Mallam Osman Alhassan, a Wa-based businessman said: "Most parents are even elated by the fact that pupils would enjoy free ride in the buses to and from school. "This is the work of a good government and we hope this will be done in other sectors of the economy." As to be expected "trotro" and taxi drivers are not happy with this development in the transport sector and have started expressing their anger in various forms including verbal outbursts.

"The Kufuor buses have brought retrenchment to drivers in Wa and they will kill us if they bring more of the buses to the Region", one "trotro" driver told the GNA. "Trotro" drivers in the town increased fares by over 20 per cent following the recent upward adjustment in fuel prices and with the arrival of the Metro buses about a fortnight ago, patronage of their services has declined heavily.