A “trotro” driver’s mate angrily threw away five of the one Ghana pesewa coins after a female passenger had paid him with the coins as transport fare.
The incident occurred between Opeibea House and Airport junction on the 37-Tetteh Quarshie road in Accra.
The action generated a heated argument between the eleven passengers on-board and the irate mate. Asempa News'Kwaku Antwi-Otoo who happened to be on-board the vehicle said the mate initially refused to accept the coins for payment but after insistence from the passenger, he collected the coins and threw them out the window. A passenger on-board the vehicle with registration number GT 6853 T, insisted that the driver stopped for the mate to go and pick the coins.
The passenger at the center of the argument, who gave her name as Paulina, told Asempa News that, the mate charged her 40 Ghana pesewas from the Flagstaff House bus stop to Madina. “I gave the mate one 20 pesewa, one 10 pesewa, 5 pesewa and five of the 1 pesewa coins,” she said. She said the mate selected the five 1pesewa coins and threw them away through the window and insulted her.
Paulina told Asempa News she was not deterred by the mate’s behavior, saying she has several of the one pesewa coins in her bag and would continue to use it.
Meanwhile the Bank of Ghana has said the refusal to accept the one pesewa coin for payment is an offense and has cautioned members of the general public against such behaviour.
Source: Asempa FM