The Ministry of Transport has announced the deployment of at least eight buses on four major routes in Accra during peak hours, effective today, Wednesday, December 10, to improve safety and convenience for commuters.
According to the Ministry, the Accra–Madina–Adenta corridor, Accra–Achimota–Amasaman route, Accra–Mallam–Kasoa stretch, and the Accra–Tema Beach Road will each receive a minimum of eight buses between 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
The initiative forms part of interim measures aimed at easing transportation challenges in the capital.
More Read
Transport Minister Joseph Nikpe Bukari made the announcement during an interaction with journalists on Wednesday.
“We are going to deploy some buses commencing from today, 10th December, and we will ensure that those buses are available at the peak hours to support our commuters who have closed from work to get home safely. And the Ministry of Transport is doing this in collaboration with the intercity STC. Some of their long-route vehicles return at good times, and their schedules are for the next day.
He added, “We are ensuring that we mop up all those vehicles and ensure that they are on our routes. So for now, we have identified four major corridors that we are going to deploy a minimum of eight buses to each of the corridors. We are working to ensure that we increase the number of buses so that we’ll be able to pick all our commuters home safely.
“And those corridors are the Accra- Madina-Adenta corridor. They will have a minimum of eight buses starting from today at 4.30 pm to 8.30 pm. That will be the operational period. We also have Accra Achimota-Amasaman. They will also have a minimum of eight buses that will start operations today from 4.30 pm to 8.30 pm.”
He said the move is an interim emergency bus deployment aimed at easing transportation challenges in the area.
“We also have the Accra-Mallam-Kasoa route that will also have a minimum of eight buses that will also start operations at peak hours from 4.30 pm to 8.30 pm. And the last route we have identified is the Accra-Tema-Beach route. It will also have a minimum of eight buses that will also operate between the hours of 4.30 pm to 8.30 pm. This is an interim or emergency deployment of buses to help salvage the situation.”
He also disclosed plans to clamp down on commercial drivers operating outside recognised transport unions, citing their continued practice of charging unapproved fares during peak hours.
“We want them to support us, to be able to flush out all drivers who would not want to respect the laws of the country. It’s regrettable that in an industry where we are all working to survive, we do not want to respect the details of that industry, and we want to tell all our commuters to remain calm and assist the government so that we can flush out those drivers who would not or car owners who will not respect the rules of the industry.
He added, “We are going to embark on a serious exercise to flush out any commercial driver that does not belong to a union. It is because they do not want to be covered by the decisions and the directives of the various unions and governments they have chosen to operate on their own. You either belong to a union, or you have no business on our roads.”
Source: CNR
