Shadow men: The third wheel of public transport in Ghana

Abstract

The literature on urban transport in Ghana focus exclusively on the state of buses, drivers and transport unions, much to the neglect of a group of workers referred to as “shadow men.” Their function is to help fill these buses with passengers. This paper explores the activities of these shadow men, their origin, and their contributions to the growth of urban transport. The researchers selected a total of 47 respondents for the study. The researchers conducted interviews with the Head of Department of Urban Transport of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and the Head of Ghana Private Road Transport Union, and then purposely selected 25 of these shadow men, 4 trotro drivers, 6 trotro mates, and 10 passengers in Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city. In addition to these interviews, the researchers held two focus group discussions that involved drivers and drivers’ mates (conductors) in one group, and passengers in another group. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The research found that there are two broad categories of shadow men: those engaged in it as a full-time business, and out-of-work drivers and drivers’ mates who rely on it for income until they have a new bus to work with. The findings also underscore the lucrative nature of the work and the city authorities’ indifference to the shadow men. Shadow men are essential to the urban transport sector in Ghana and should therefore be given considerable attention by academics, and included in the plans of city authorities.