Ghana Marks Public Transport Day

Minister of State and other government officials are to join public transport to and from work today in commemoration of Public Transport Day.

The aim is to enable the officials to appreciate some of the transportation challenges that the general public go through in the formulation of public policy in order to be informed to address such problems.

The occasion forms part of activities marking the joint 10th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).

The two-week anniversary, which is on the theme: “Road safety is a shared and collective responsibility”, is being marked simultaneously in all the regions.

Activities lined up for the celebration include school debates on various aspects of road safety and fun games.

The Executive Director of the NRSC, Mr Noble Appiah, said the general public experienced various challenges everyday with regard to transportation.

However, he said, because policy makers did not patronise public transport, they were unable to appreciate those problems and address them accordingly.

He said the public transport system was generally made up of vehicles, which were mostly in bad condition.

Mr Appiah said inadequacies such as the absence of seatbelts, faulty brakes, among others, had been identified as major causes of road traffic accidents in the country.

He said the road safety campaign was a shared responsibility, and urged Ghanaians to join the campaign in order to minimise road accidents.