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Originally Posted by markh
Right there is a pint on offer from me on the 25th if anyone produces an example of a city they have visited that makes then wish for public transit - Dublin style!  |
Oh, so there's a *pint* in it! Well why didn't you say before...
I know this isn't really an example of what you're looking for, but I think it gets me my pint...
I lived as a volunteer for two years in the depths of nowhere in Ghana, West Africa. I did manage however to escape to the capital, Accra, for my fix of running water and electricity every few months...
Public transport in Ghana is primarily provided by the most ungainly acronym ever, the GPRTU of TUC (Ghana Public Road Transport Union of the Trades Union Congress -- just in case you were wondering!). The GPRTU is basically a drivers union setup that fixes fares, looks after stations and allocates services, and it works quite well - perhaps because any attempt at profiteering by the GPRTU is prevented by the simple inability to pay of the majority of the population.
The main form of public transport in Ghana is a tro-tro: definitions vary but typically a beat-up mini-bus, four seats across (the aisle has a seat that folds down). It's very cramped, as you can imagine 4 people across in a hiace might be. The tro-tros don't leave until they're full, so you can be waiting a whole day just to get somewhere. They're all emblazoned with phrases such as 'In God We Trust', and rarely have functioning brakes.
For short-hop routes in cities, tro-tros just travel along a set route, stopping off at various places. The fares are also fixed (a 3 mile journey might cost you 10p) Similar level of cramped-ness, but not as many chickens sharing your legspace. Still no brakes, mind...
Inter-city buses are provided by the state bus operator, similar to bus eireann, except there are five seats across (again, one in a fold-down aisle seat).
There are trains in Ghana, the lines form a triangle between the three biggest cities. In the early eighties some East German stock was bought for one side of the 'triangle', which included some relatively swish sleeper cars. The journey would take about 12 hours though, with the equivalent road journey taking about 5.
Verdict: only slightly better than Dublin. Comfort wasn't exactly great, and more than once I had to dodge urine dripping down on me from a goat tied on to the roof. Having said that, being packed in like sardines meant there was never any skanger behaviour. Frequency was probably better on the municipal services than on DB routes...oh and you got change...
For perspective, Ghana's per capita GDP is about 7% that of Ireland's. Even though it is held up as an African economic success story, malnourished children and abject poverty are still commonplace...