By Edward Acquah
Accra, March 29, GNA- Some major transport operators in Accra have bemoaned low patronage on their major routes at the beginning of the Easter festivities.
Checks conducted by the Ghana News Agency at the terminals of the State Transport Company (STC), V.I.P Jeoun Transport Limited, and O.A Travel and Tours at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle on Friday afternoon showed a relative decline in patronage.
Contrary to the usual long queues that characterise the premises of the major bus terminals, the situation was different on Easter Friday, with some of the terminals recording less than 20 trips on the Accra-Kumasi route as of 14:30 hours.
The news team also observed empty seats in the passenger waiting areas, which is an unexpected scene during the festive season as many people living in Accra travel back home to reconnect with their families.
The transport operators told the GNA that passenger volumes had declined by about 30 per cent compared to the same period last year.
They attributed the situation to the Ramadan fasting period and the general decline in economic activities largely as a result of the economic challenges confronting the country.
Mr Adakabre Frimpong Manso, the General Manager of the V.I.P Jeoun, told the GNA that as of 14:00 hours, the terminal had recorded 5,000 passengers on all of its major routes.
He said the figure had dropped by more than 30 per cent within the same period last year.
“Things have been slow today. On Thursday we recorded about 10,000 passengers. We believe the fasting period is also a factor,” he said.
Mr Adakabre said the Company would commission a study into the numbers at the end of the festive season to guide its future plans.
At the STC terminal, which runs the Accra-Kumasi route, as of 14:45 hours, only 744 passengers had been conveyed to Kumasi.
Mr Brefoh Frank, Operations Officer, STC, said the figure was “quite low” and expressed hope that patronage would increase in the rest of the days marking the festive period.
The O.A. Bust terminal appeared to be less busy as many of its buses were yet to be filled as of Friday afternoon.
Sources at the terminal told the GNA that business had been slow and the figures recorded “are not encouraging”.
As of 15:00 hours, only 31 passengers had patronised its Accra-Wassa Akropong route, while 93 passengers had travelled from Accra to Bolgatanga.
The transport operators were optimistic that the situation would improve in the coming days to enable them to make enough profit as they projected at the beginning of the year.
GNA