Mass Transport service not to cripple private transporters

Accra, Sept. 17, GNA - Government on Saturday said its decision to introduce the mass public transport system was not premised on the desire to play out the private stakeholders in the sector. Rather, the move was to complement efforts of private transporters such as the Ghana Private Road Transport Union to ensure effective and efficient delivery of transport services to the public.

Speaking at the launch of 30 new city buses and an Adenta-Kinbu pilot route, Deputy Minister of Road Transport Magnus Opare Asamoah, said the provision of efficient and reliable schedule transport services was one sure way to enhance economic growth.

He said the current transport system needed to be improved and that government was poised to do just that through special incentives and policies to expand the coverage of the mass transport system. The Government established the MMT in 2003 to provide affordable and efficient transport system nationwide.

Government holds 45 per cent shares in the MMT with institutional investors retaining the remaining 55 per cent. Mr Opare Asamoah said in a bid to attain a nationwide coverage the MMT would augment its current fleet of buses from 506 to a 1,000 by the end of the year.

Currently, MMT operates in seven out of the 10 regions and plans are underway to extend services to the other three regional capitals. The Deputy Minister said the Adenta-Kinbu pilot route would involve trips from and to Tetteh Quarshie interchange every 15 minutes and direct from Adenta to Kinbu.

Instead of the usual practice of getting tickets on the bus, passengers on the route would have to buy advance tickets from designated sales points.

Mr Opare Asamoah said the ticketing innovation would block avenues for revenue leakages.