Trotro chronicles: Love, drama, and nicknames on four wheels
Every morning in Accra, as the city slowly stretches awake to the sound of car horns and sellers shouting “adinkra pie, bofrot!”, something magical, and mildly chaotic, happens on the streets.
It’s not just traffic. It’s not just the sun boiling your forehead. It’s trotro: Ghana’s most unpredictable, unfiltered, and often hilarious form of transportation.
Trotros are not just a ride. They are confession booths, dating spots, comedy clubs, and boxing arenas, all squeezed into 15-seat Nissan buses that seem held together by prayers and zip ties.
Lovebirds in Lane One
You haven’t seen romance until you’ve sat next to a couple in love on a morning trotro. The kind that thinks everyone else on the bus is invisible. Afia, a Legon student who boards from Circle, shared her unforgettable experience:
“I once sat beside a couple who were feeding each other groundnuts like they were at a picnic. Then they kissed, a full-on kiss! The whole bus went silent, then someone shouted, ‘Ei! This one diɛɛ, we are watching Netflix live!’”
Love is indeed patient and kind, especially when it has to endure two hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Drama Over GHS 1 Change
But don’t let the cuddles fool you. Trotros are also battlefields. Especially when it comes to change, that one cedi coin that somehow disappears into thin air once the mate pockets your GHS 5.
Recently, a man travelling from Madina to Adenta launched into a full-blown tirade after being told, “Bossu, no coins.” He wasn’t having it.
“You think I’m new in this game?” he shouted.
The mate, clearly unbothered, clapped back: “Then use your experience and drop!”
A verbal WrestleMania followed, with other passengers chiming in like ring-side commentators. By the time it ended, no one remembered what the argument was even about. But entertainment was served.
Nicknames You Didn’t Ask For
Trotro mates are accidental comedians. With a sharp tongue and zero filters, they give passengers nicknames that follow them for life.
•That one lady sleeping with her mouth open? “Auntie Do Not Disturb.”
•A man speaking loudly on his phone? “Bra Call Centre.”
•A flashy guy in skinny jeans and sunglasses? “Yess Shatta Wale.”
Kwame, a mate on the Kaneshie to Kasoa route, told us with a proud grin, “You have to make the ride interesting. If not, stress will kill us all. Some passengers come with their own drama, I just add soundtrack.”
One Bus, Many Lives
In this chaos, friendships are formed. Fights erupt and end in laughter. People meet their future spouses. Some even discover their lost cousins. One lady said she found her former schoolmate on a trotro, now selling insurance, and signed up right there before the bus reached 37.
A trotro is Ghana’s unofficial social media platform: no logins, no filters, just vibes, and the occasional engine breakdown.
So next time you hop into one, don’t just plug in your earphones. Look around. You might witness a break-up, a proposal, or a full comedy show on wheels. You never know, you might even be the next episode in the Trotro Chronicles.