Passengers Can Be Fined Too: Trotro Stops, Footbridges and Ghana’s Road Rules

When a trotro stops in the middle of a busy road, is the passenger who gets off responsible too? Ghana’s Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519), contain rules for passengers as well as drivers. They also address how pedestrians cross a road where designated facilities exist.

Boarding or getting off

Regulation 204 addresses boarding or alighting at an unauthorised place, and entering or leaving a vehicle while it is moving. The stated penalty is a fine of up to five penalty units (GH¢60), up to seven days’ imprisonment, or both. A driver who permits a passenger to enter or leave a moving vehicle is also covered. That is why both sides of a rushed roadside pick-up should wait for a lawful, safe stopping point.

Crossing the road

Regulation 203 covers several pedestrian offences, including ignoring a pedestrian signal, crossing at an unauthorised location, walking in the roadway where a footpath is provided, and failing to use a footbridge or underpass where one is available. The stated penalty is also up to GH¢60, up to seven days’ imprisonment, or both.

The practical question is not whether every person is being watched by a camera. It is whether stepping between moving vehicles, crossing unexpectedly or getting off before a trotro has stopped puts someone in danger. Use a safe designated crossing or stop when available, and give yourself time to reach it.

These are distinct passenger and pedestrian rules. They should not be confused with the graduated TRAFFITECH-GH automated-enforcement schedule, which applies to qualifying device-detected offences.

These are offences under Ghana’s Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519). The stated fine and imprisonment ranges are legal penalties, with imprisonment subject to court proceedings. They should not be mistaken for an automatic TRAFFITECH-GH camera notice.