By Edward Dankwah, GNA
Accra, Sept. 8, GNA – Mr Mahama Ayariga, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, has said the success of the Aayalolo Bus Rapid Transit system will depend largely on its ability to provide a reliable service that commuters can depend on daily.
He said public transport systems in other jurisdictions had won the confidence of commuters because passengers could predict when buses would arrive and how long it would take them to reach their destinations.
The Minister was speaking when he undertook a facility tour of the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE–Ayalolo) to ascertain the number and condition of buses available and engage management on measures to bring more buses into operation to support the country’s transportation needs.
Mr Ayariga said the Aayalolo service must become equally dependable if it was to attract more commuters and help ease congestion in Ghana’s major cities.
He explained that in countries where similar rapid transport systems operated successfully, commuters were willing to wait for buses because they were confident about their schedules.
He said Ghana’s growing urban population, particularly in Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi and the Sekondi-Takoradi enclave, had made the need for an efficient and dependable mass transit system increasingly important.
“The rapid growth of the country’s major cities, coupled with structural challenges in urban planning, had resulted in large numbers of people travelling into the same commercial and government centres every morning and returning in the opposite direction in the evening,” he added.
The Minister said while long-term solutions would include expanding road networks and decentralising some economic and government activities, an effective rapid transport system could provide an immediate alternative for commuters, and that the buses could not be described as rapid if they remained trapped in the same traffic as ordinary commercial and private vehicles.
The Minister said he would engage the Ministers responsible for Roads and Highways, Transport and Interior, as well as the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service, to explore practical measures that could make the service genuinely faster and more dependable.
Among the ideas to be explored, he said, was the possible allocation of road lanes for Aayalolo buses during peak periods, supported by appropriate traffic management and public education.
He clarified, however, that the proposals were not yet government policy but ideas that would be discussed with the relevant stakeholders and technical authorities.
Mr Ayariga said a properly designed system with predictable schedules could encourage commuters to leave their private vehicles behind and depend on public transport.
He said the goal was to establish a service that commuters could “count on”, stressing that reliability was central to building public confidence in the system.
Mr Ayariga added that making the buses genuinely rapid could also improve the financial efficiency of the operation by reducing the time buses spend in traffic and enabling them to make more trips.
“The government will also encourage metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies within major urban enclaves to invest in the service because public transportation is an important service that local authorities must support for their residents,” he stressed.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade