Where I pick my bus after work, one of the drivers regularly uses his 16-year-old son as his mate. I first noticed the boy around in 2023. He is quite disrespectful, though he hasn't directly confronted me, so I usually mind my business. Since I join when it’s their turn to load passengers, I’ve observed the poor condition of their bus as well.
Fast forward to Monday, I met them again and happened to be the last passenger to board. I had earlier seen the boy at the driver’s side calling for passengers—something he often does while sitting in the driver’s seat rather than standing in front of the bus like the other mates. At first, I thought nothing of it. But then, to my shock, he jumped into the driver’s seat and started the bus.
Nobody said a word. Some passengers were glued to their phones, while others simply looked on. In disbelief, I decided to ask the boy his age—not to scold him outright, but to caution him against driving. He drove the bus a short distance to where his father was waiting, and when his dad took over, I asked the boy:
"How old are you?"
He responded, "16 years."
I then asked him if he was aware that it was illegal for him to drive at that age. He ignored me. Everyone, including a Fire Service personnel I often see in the bus, just stared. No one spoke up. I warned the boy never to attempt that again, advising him that if he wanted to learn how to drive, he should do so on weekends when no passengers were on board.
The following day, I joined the bus again while it was half full. The boy was seated comfortably in the driver’s seat, calling for passengers. When the bus was full, he attempted to start driving. I tapped him on the shoulder and firmly told him to stop and go get his father. He insisted he would meet his dad halfway, but I told him that if he tried, I would get off. Reluctantly, he got out and signaled his dad to come.
When his father arrived, he questioned the boy, asking why he didn’t bring "us" to him. The boy rudely replied in Twi, “The woman sitting behind you won’t let me.” Still, no one else spoke up, even as I pointed out that he was just 16 and shouldn’t be driving. It was as if people didn’t care.
This indifference reminded me of an incident a few years ago when a driver’s mate lost control of a bus and crashed into a kiosk near my shop while I was running Abound Foods in that same station.
As all this was happening, the bus refused to start. The father struggled to ignite the engine, eventually recruiting a few men to push the bus—but to no avail. Only then did the passengers start expressing their frustrations, criticizing the driver and his son. They demanded that the driver open the doors so they could alight. We ended up switching to another bus, while some passengers opted for an empty one.
#KASA Moral of the story: It may be painful to sit and wait a while but it will be costly to rush and not get home safely. Let's voice out sometime na the avoidable accidents are too much.
(As Shared by Victoria Ama Dan-Vessel on Trotro Diaries Group)
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