Have you ever had a flat tire in the middle of a journey and no spare tire to replace it, either by yourself or with the help of other drivers? If you have, how did you get it fixed to continue your trip?
Well, I am sure it was a vulcanizer who came to your rescue. The services of vulcanizers are important when it comes to vehicle maintenance, but do they get the recognition they deserve?
While some are cashing in due to their strategic locations, others are being harassed by city authorities.
Ordinarily spotted at various strategic points by the roadside, they render services including selling, fixing, and pumping deflated tires.
But how much capital does one need to start operating as a vulcanizer?
Twenty-six-year-old Senior High School leaver, Emmanuel Opare, who operates on Osu Oxford Street in Accra, estimates the initial capital for the vulcanizing business to be GH₵10,000.
“This business, if you want to start, especially the machines and the tools; you need almost GH₵10,000, which is our old currency, 100 million, or maybe with GH₵7,000, you can start. If you get a proper place as I am right now, even three months you can get your money from it. If the thing belongs to you, within three months, you can get your capital back. Because if you get a place like Oxford Street, where the cars are moving like this, yes, definitely you will get it. The only thing is you will find a place where the cars are moving more.”
Opare also detailed an average of his daily sales to Citi Business News. “I make GH₵100 a day, but I also save GH₵50 a day, and I can do maybe about 30 cars a day and I pump maybe 20 cars a day where I can get my money and my sales out of it.”
Although a male-dominated profession, 27-year-old Jessica Evelyn Acquah at East Legon in Accra noted that she decided to venture into the business because of the joy of fixing deflated tires and the monetary gains that come with it. “There’s money in it. Money is joy,” she said.
Constant harassment from local assembly officials is one of the challenges hampering the business, Salisu Ibrahim, a vulcanizer stationed at Shiashie in Accra noted. Meanwhile, the formation of an association remains a key concern for vulcanizers.
According to them, such an initiative, when formed and strengthened, would serve as a formidable channel to voice their concerns.
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