The acting Managing Director of the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE), Awudu Dawuda, has disclosed that only 80 out of the 245 Ayalolo buses procured by government in 2016 are currently operating in Accra, worsening the transport situation in the capital.
He explained that although the buses were originally meant to operate exclusively within Accra, a significant number were later redeployed to other regions, limiting the system’s capacity to meet commuter demand.
“When I took over, we were left with only 80 buses out of the 245 buses that the government procured in 2016. The buses were meant to operate in Accra alone, but 60 were taken to Kumasi, 10 to Takoradi, and another 10 to Tamale at the behest of the then Ministry of Transport,” he said in an interview.
Mr Dawuda noted that the redeployment has contributed to long queues and extended waiting times for commuters, particularly during peak hours. He added that efforts are underway to restore operations, including the return of some buses stationed outside Accra.
“I wrote to the authorities in charge of the buses in Kumasi, and approval has been granted for us to bring the 60 buses there back to Accra,” he disclosed.
He further revealed that nearly 60 additional buses are currently parked due to breakdowns, further reducing the number of operational vehicles.
“Nearly 60 of the buses were parked because they had broken down. We have repaired some of them through our own means to get them back on the road,” he added.
Mr Dawuda expressed optimism that the ongoing interventions would, in the coming weeks, help ease the transport burden on commuters in Accra.