Adankwame Taxi Drivers Clash With Pragia Riders Over Takeover Of 30-Year -Old Taxi Station.

Commercial taxi drivers at Adankwame in the Atwima Nwabiagya North District of the Ashanti Region are up in arms against tricycle (Pragia) riders over the alleged takeover of their lorry station, which they claim to have operated for over 30 years.

The aggrieved drivers, who are members of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA), say they are locked in a fierce battle with the tricycle operators for control of the loading space.

According to the taxi drivers, the Pragia riders who previously operated from Essaso have, for the past few months, started loading passengers along the main road at Adankwame – a spot the taxi drivers have operated from for three decades.

The drivers revealed that tensions between the two groups have frequently degenerated into near-violent confrontations, alleging that almost every Pragia rider conceals a machete in his tricycle and threatens them with cutlasses during arguments.

“The Pragia riders have taken over our station and they threaten us with machetes anytime we confront them. Several attempts to fight them have almost led to bloodshed,” one of the drivers lamented.

The taxi drivers further alleged that the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Atwima Nwabiagya North, Hon. Mba Zakaria, and the Boahen Police Command are fully aware of the activities of the Pragia riders but have turned a deaf ear to their complaints.

They have therefore issued a stern warning that, as taxpayers who regularly pay levies and taxes to the Assembly, they will embark on a strike and cease all tax payments to the Assembly if their concerns are not addressed immediately.

“We pay taxes to the Assembly. If they fail to respond to our call, we will go on strike and no taxes will be paid again.

We will also start pulling out cutlasses from our cars if that is what the authorities want us to do,” the Drivers’ Union warned.

They are calling on the Ashanti Regional Minister, the District Assembly and the Ghana Police Service to urgently intervene to prevent any imminent clash and ensure peace and order at Adankwame.

Story by Bismark Mensah@A/R.