Magdalene Sey
4 November 2008
The Central Regional Manager of Intercity State Transport Company (STC) coaches, Mr Richard Owusu-Barimah, has warned drivers of the company, to desist from picking illegitimate passengers at unauthorised points when travelling, else they would face dismissal.
Speaking to The Chronicle in his office in Cape Coast last Friday, Mr. Owusu-Barimah warned them to put a stop to the act, which tends to put the lives of those passengers at a higher risk.
He explained that the company had put in place an insurance package for passengers who boarded their buses, and that passengers who were picked from unauthorised points, would not benefit from those insurance packages, in case of any eventuality.
Mr. Owusu-Barimah recounted that most passengers, who have lost their lives or suffered any casualty travelling with the coaches, had not benefitted from the insurance policy, because they did not follow the right procedures in boarding the bus.
He recounted that one gentleman faced a similar situation in the fatal Komenda Junction accident, involving an STC coach and a trailer five months ago, when he was picked from an unauthorised point by the driver.
Owusu-Barimah added that although the gentleman did not survive the accident, he did not benefit from the insurance package as the other passengers, because he was not recognised as a passenger, since he did not have the necessary particulars when boarding the bus.
He further added that similar incidents had happened to many passengers who were not covered by the policy, because they failed to go through the right steps in boarding the vehicle.
He revealed that about 16 drivers had been sacked this year because of this attitude, and has therefore cautioned STC drivers to desist from picking passengers who did not buy tickets at STC terminals, in order to protect them, as well as secure their (drivers) jobs.
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