PERSONALITY!!!

a tro tro conductor

For most occupations there is a dress code. A banker will wear a suit and a tie, a lab technician will be in his or her lab coat. Commercial drivers in Ghana especially tro tro drivers and their mates have very interesting ways of dressing. In as much as the Motor Traffic And Transport Unit (MTTU) tries to make them have a dress code, they seem to prefer their own style of dressing an a daily base.If I recall, there was a time in Ghana where tro tro drivers were asked to wear a white shirt and a black trousers with a pair of shoes but that did not last. Most of the drivers said it made them look too “official” so they resorted to their own attire Some drivers will wear a nice shirt on a pair of trousers and a sandal or shoe. Others also look like they do not care about how they look. As for the conductors or mate, you will agree with me that the way some of them dress is very interesting and may make you laugh your rips off. Tro tro mates are known to often look dirty and have smelly armpits. One of Ghana’s musicians popularly known as Sydney in one of his songs, ‘scent no’(http://www.google.com.gh/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCoQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ghanaplaylist.com%2Fhome%2Fmusic%2Fplay%2F11919298337978&ei=Egm_UqiIJITK0QWT5YGIDg&usg=AFQjCNHaRdsnoEQ1FyT3Z181VhxBvAoMTw&sig2=rvgHQcJ_TDo1uK3zfVdpLg )even made mention of this fact. The part of the song that talked about sitting in a tro tro and a mate raising his armpit: the smell alone is something else. I have personally on several occasions witnessed this. There are even some drivers who look like they are conductors.

For taxis, most taxi drivers are compelled to wear a uniform because they are members of a union. A visit to most taxi stations shows how most of them have to dress uniformly. The common practice now a day is the wearing of Lacoste to work. Some stations have specific days that members have to wear the t-shirt or Lacoste. Example, on Tuesdays and Fridays. On such days one will see the beauty of wearing a uniform. It is nice to see taxi drivers in uniform.
Drivers of VIP and VVIP buses also wear either a uniform or lacoste. A few do not go by this and are allowed to wear anything presentable or descent.

VIP bus drivers in lacoste