By Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, Jan.16, GNA – Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang Friday said the Government is working on deploying new high-occupancy buses to augment public transport services and ease congestion and long queues faced by commuters.
She said the intervention would support Metro Mass Transit, Aayalolo, and private transport operators in the medium term to improve mobility and reduce commuter stress, especially during peak hours.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang gave the assurance during a working visit to the Ministry of Transport as part of her ongoing engagement with key sectors of the economy.
The visit was to assess progress on government transport projects, discuss strategic initiatives and engage leadership of the Ministry, the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and other transport unions on policy priorities and implementation challenges.
The Vice President said government was aware of the growing pressure on the transport system, noting that persistent long queues, congestion and delays were negatively affecting productivity and daily life.
“We believe the challenges have solutions, and those solutions require collective responsibility. Government is not blind to the situation,” she said.
Although the private sector carried about 90 per cent of public transportation in the country, she noted that government had a responsibility to lighten that burden through targeted support, fleet renewal and infrastructure improvement.
She said President John Dramani Mahama had directed that support be expedited for transport agencies and private operators to enable them to put more buses on the roads.
Prof. Opoku-Agyeman urged transport unions to uphold fairness, transparency and respect in their dealings with passengers and called on the leadership to monitor their members to prevent exploitation and safety lapses.
She assured commuters that government was taking steps to modernise and expand transport services to ensure affordability, safety and efficiency, while continuing road infrastructure improvements nationwide.
As part of the visit, she toured the Metro Mass Transit Terminal at Kaneshie and the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE) at Adenta to familiarise herself with their operations and challenges.
At GAPTE, Professor Opoku-Agyemang commended management for confronting inherited difficulties and assured them of government’s commitment to restructuring and retooling public transport agencies.
The Minister of Transport, Mr Joseph Bukari Nikpe, said the Ministry had observed increased pressure on the transport system since December due to rising economic activity and inadequate fleet renewal over the years.
He said transport agencies such as Metro Mass Transit, STC and Aayalolo, as well as private unions, had not received significant retooling support for nearly a decade, resulting in reduced fleet capacity.
Mr Nikpe said government was committed to renewing fleets and collaborating with transport unions to facilitate access to new buses, which would significantly ease congestion and commuter hardship.
He appealed to commuters for patience, assuring them that concrete measures were being implemented to restore efficiency and reliability to the transport sector.
Speaking on behalf of transport unions, Mr Ibrahim Musah, Executive Secretary of the Joint Association of Port Transport Union, welcomed the Vice President’s assurance, describing fleet renewal as the most urgent solution to the challenges facing the sector.
He said transport operators were struggling with ageing vehicles and inadequate access to new buses, adding that any sustainable solution must prioritise the provision of reliable and suitable vehicles to operators across the country.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe