MAUKENI WRITES:The anatomy of trotro seating

The writer, Maukeni Padiki Kodjo

Everyone knows I love trotros. They bring me too much joy. It also means I am a veteran when it comes to trotros and their seating.

The best seats in the trotro are window seats. Not only do you not have to move until you get to your destination, you also have an escape route if your sitting mate has foul breath or interesting body odour. Just direct your nose towards the window and breathe! Even if the window cannot be opened, there will probably be two small holes where the knob should have been. Take in that oxygen! ????

However, make sure you don’t fall asleep, and if you do, make sure that you are not the type that can resolve Adenta’s water shortage with your ‘water works’. You see, I know how rejuvenating power naps in the troski can be, but I also know how yawa it can be to wake up and realize that you are in go slow traffic and every car that has passed by you has had a laugh or two at your expense.

Those who sit beside the window seat person are usually the ones who demand that the window be opened because they are feeling hot. And they usually ask in the ‘Ah, can’t you feel that it is hot in here?’ voice, and no, they don’t care if the wind will ruin your new hairstyle. They are usually sweating profusely and if you are unlucky, they will smear a fair share of the sweat on you, as a token. Maybe you should open the window even before they ask. The sooner they get dry, the better.

A trotro vehicle

I think those who sit at the end of the 3 seater stretch should sue the mates who say ‘one man, one seat’. They hardly ever sit on a full seat, and if their sitting mates are on the heavy side, they end up

literally perching on the edge of the seat. I think a portion of their fare should be refunded to them. On top of all this, they are usually the ones who pass the money on to the mate. All this for half a seat?! The one who sits beside the mate suffers the most because the mate slaps his seat against his/her thigh every time someone needs to get down. Just unfair mehn!

As for those in the foldable seats, the least said the better. All I can say is they have to stand in the rain when someone all the way at the back needs to get down. The back seat is not a bad spot if you are going all the way to the last stop. If you plan to get down early in the journey and you sit all the way at the back, prepare yourself for some choice words from a heavyset woman who doesn’t exercise often, because ‘you could have saved us all the trouble and sat in front’. The front seat is your best bet if you have long legs. Just pray that the engine of the car is not beneath your seat- the heat will slowly begin to cook your buttocks if it is a long ride. If it is a rickety troski, you may need to move your leg just so the driver can change his gear.

If you are a trotro-regular, you would know what I am talking about. You probably even have your own real-life experiences. My name is Maukeni Padiki Kodjo  and I write this from the window seat at the back of a Sprinter troski????

The writer is an award-winning blogger based in Accra, Ghana. To read more of her posts, visit https://kenikodjo.com