Gov’t introduces emergency bus support on major Accra routes to ease peak-hour woes

The Ministry of Transport has commenced deploying additional buses on four major corridors in Accra during evening peak hours in a bid to ease the growing transportation difficulties faced by commuters

Transport Minister Joseph Nikpe Bukari announced the intervention on Tuesday, describing it as an emergency measure aimed to improve safety, reduce lengthy waiting times and to curb the exorbitant fares charged by some commercial drivers during rush hours.

Speaking to journalists in Parliament, the Minister said the initiative takes effect today, 10 December, and is part of the government’s immediate response to public complaints about unreliable transport services in the capital.

Bukari explained that the Ministry, in collaboration with Intercity STC Coaches Limited, will temporarily redeploy long-distance buses that return to Accra ahead of schedule to support intra-city operations.

“We are going to employ some buses commencing from today, 10th December,” he said. “We will ensure that those buses are available at the peak hours to support our commuters who close from work to get home safely.”

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Under the new arrangement, each identified corridor will receive at least eight buses operating between 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

The routes are as follows:

Accra–Madina–Adenta

Accra–Achimota–Amasaman

Accra–Mallam–Kasoa

Accra–Tema Beach Road

The Minister added that the government intends to scale up the number of buses in the coming weeks to ensure that “we’ll be able to pick all our commuters home safely.”

For months, commuters in Accra have struggled to secure transportation during peak hours, often confronted with long queues and significant fare increases imposed by some private operators who exploit the shortages.

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The Ministry says the deployment forms part of a short-term relief strategy while broader reforms to strengthen the city’s urban transport system are being considered.