The trotro is the transport system Accra actually runs on. It carries far more people than every bus, taxi and ride-hailing app combined, it costs a fraction of the alternatives, and it reaches places no app will take you.
It also has no timetable, no route map, no published fares and no stops. It is entirely learnable anyway.
The basics
A trotro is a privately owned minibus — usually a Ford Transit or similar — running a fixed route between lorry stations.
Two people run it:
- The driver.
- The mate — the conductor. Hangs out of the sliding door, calls the destination, collects fares, gives change, and decides when the bus is full. The mate is the interface.
It leaves when it is full, not at a time. On a busy route that is a few minutes. On a quiet one at an odd hour, it can be a while.
Finding the right one
At a station
Lorry stations are organised by destination. Circle (Kwame Nkrumah Interchange), Kaneshie, Tema Station, Achimota, Madina, Lapaz and 37 are the major interchanges.
Walk in and ask. “Madina?” is a complete and perfectly polite question. Someone will point. Ghanaians are consistently helpful about this.
On the road
Stand where trotros pass and wave one down. The mate will be calling the destination out of the window as it approaches.
You can also signal your destination with a hand gesture, and the mate will signal back whether they are going there.
The hand signals
This is the part that looks impenetrable and takes about a week.
- Circle — index finger rotating in a circle
- Accra / central — index finger pointing down, meaning “into town”
- Airport — flat hand tilted like a plane taking off
- 37 — three fingers, then seven, or a hand gesture locals will show you
- Tema — hand pushed forward, indicating “far, straight ahead”
- Straight ahead / along this road — flat hand pushed forward
Signals vary by route and by neighbourhood. The reliable method is to watch what other people at your stop do, and copy it.
Riding
- Get in. Slide across; do not block the door.
- Sit down. The seats fold; someone will show you how.
- Wait for the mate to ask for fares. They will, usually once the bus is moving.
- Pass your money forward. People will hand it along for you. Change comes back the same way. This works, reliably, and is one of the small pleasures of the system.
- Say where you are going, if the fare varies by distance.
Fares
From about ₵2.50 for a short hop, up to around ₵12 for a long crosstown run.
Fares are set by the transport unions — largely the GPRTU — and change with fuel prices. They are not negotiable, and the mate is not overcharging you.
Carry small notes. A ₵100 note for a ₵3 fare will produce a long, unhappy pause. This is the single most common newcomer mistake.
Getting off
Say “bus stop!” clearly. That is the phrase, whether or not a bus stop exists. Alternatives you will hear: “mate, bus stop”, or “next stop”.
Say it before you arrive — the driver needs a moment to pull over, and overshooting means walking back.
If you are not sure where to get off, tell the mate your destination when you board. They will tell you when.
Practical advice
Watch your bag. Ordinary city sense. Keep it in front of you, particularly at crowded stations.
Rush hour is a scrum. Boarding at Circle at 6pm is competitive. Be decisive.
It is slow. Trotros stop constantly. Factor in significantly more time than a car would take.
It gets hot. Windows open, no air conditioning, and you will be close to your neighbours.
Have an exit plan. If you are out late, know whether trotros still run your route. Service thins out at night, and Bolt is the fallback.
Rain stops everything. A heavy downpour empties the roads of trotros and fills them with people waiting.
Why bother
Cost, mostly. A daily commute by trotro costs a fraction of the same commute by ride-hailing, and over a month the difference is a meaningful share of a Ghanaian salary.
But also: the trotro is where a great deal of Accra actually happens. Conversations, arguments, preaching, traders boarding to sell for two stops, music, and the quiet cooperation of a dozen strangers passing coins forward and back. You will not get that in a Bolt.