As part of efforts to promote safety on the roads in the country, a programme dubbed “Passengers’ spokesperson project” has been launched at the VIPJeoun Transport Company Limited in Accra on Thursday.
The project, which is the first phase, was an initiative of the Ghana Police Service which sought to ensure that the passengers’ spokesperson prompted drivers anytime indiscipline was exhibited during journeys.
He or she would act as a liaison between the passengers and the police and thereby report any form of indiscipline to the nearest police station or police officers.
Launching the programme, the Director-General of the Police Public Relations, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Kwesi Ofori, said three months ago the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, and his administration paid a working visit to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, visiting eight unions for the first time.
He said following the mutual discussions between the executive of the transport union, the IGP pledged that his administration would introduce the passengers’ spokesperson project.
DCOP Ofori said every movement of the VIP buses to other parts of the country would have a spokesperson and he or she would be appointed by the passengers themselves and the coordinating agencies will be the VIP executive.
He said this was a prototype, an initiative to be extended to other transport organisations and unions.
“As we launch the passenger spokespersons initiative which is meant to promote passengers’ safety aimed to stop passengers carnage, reckless driving and to make sure that we sanitise our roads,” he added.
He said the spokesperson would coordinate between the VIP executive as well as the passengers and the police if the situation became very serious.
The Director-General stated that it was a voluntary service and before any bus leave the station, the spokesperson must have the bus number so that they can communicate as they journey along.
The General Manager of VIP Jeoun Transport Company Limited, Adakabre Frimpong Manso, in his remarks, commended the Ghana Police Service for the initiative and assured of the company’s collaboration to make the programme a success.
He said the programme would go a long way to promote safety, adding that VIP does 46 destination, using more than 250 buses daily in and out of Accra.
The Transport Manager said to ensure safety before a bus left their station, a pre-departure checks were done before their journeys.
Mr Frimpong assured the Ghana Police Service of VIP’s continuous efforts to promote safety on the roads.
Present at the programme were the Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOPIddi Lansah Seidu, Director General of the Police Intelligence Department, DCOP Faustina Andoh Kwofie, management of the transport company, and other senior police officers from the Regional Command and the headquarters.
BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI
