A view of a public transport station
I have watched with much concern, the increasing levels of frustration that commuters in various parts of the Greater Accra Region go through daily.
Passengers are subjected to harassment by petty thieves who cut through bags, snatch purses and sometimes infringe minor injuries on their skins in the quest to secure a means of transport to their various destinations.
It is so disheartening you wonder if those who can do something about it have not seen, heard or their relations have not experienced it.
Whether from Ofankor to Accra, Kasoa to Accra, Dawhenya to Accra or Madina to Accra and back, the story is the same- dawn and dusk stress occasioned by poor urban transport system. The sight is so pitiful when it rains in the morning.
Passengers jostling for trotro.
On a regular day, passengers stand in the early morning sun for hours before they secure a ‘trotro’ (Mini bus), Uber, Bolt, Yango, Bolt, Okada or taxi. It is needful to add that there are a few ‘Aayalolo’ buses in between, and to mention that a significant number of the passengers here stand till the end of the journey.
Then the arduous and sweaty journey begins in traffic and end in another two or more hours. The effects? Worker arrives in the office already tired, thus affecting productivity. Depending on where they work, he or she manages to leave early without the managers noticing, in order to avoid another date with vehicular traffic while heading home.
So much has been written about this, including mine titled ‘Accra’s transport system – a stressful means of wasting scarce resources’ published in July 2021, yet very little has been done by duty bearers to ease this daily source of pain, anguish and loss.
What happened in the 80s
I grew up in the Central Business District of Accra- spent the day at Okaishie, slept at Zongo lane and schooled at Adabraka, Akotolante, Bubuashie, Tudu and finally Asylum Down.
In those days, we had the Omnibus Services Authority (OSA) handling urban transport for the masses with trotros. Taxis were meant for the rich- for ‘Charter’ and ‘Dropping’, they flagged them down and hopped in to their destinations in extra comfort.
The busing system was so efficient. There were buses dedicated to various routes- 27C plied Accra central to Kaneshie, Bubuashie and beyond. I used that often, 27A too.
OSA Bus
And there was railway service from Accra to various parts of the country, on which me and my “crews” stole rides perilously occasionally. It was painless traveling within and out of Greater Accra.
The beginning of chaos
I can’t say what took them out of business, but OSA fizzled out and City Line and Green Line came in. By this time, trotros seemed more than the buses. They proved faster to travel with, thus piqued the fancy of many a commuter.
Soon, these buses started dwindling in number while the trotros multiplied. Then came ‘King of Kings’, a private initiative by a businessman who bought OSA’s broken down Willowbrook buses and brought them back on the roads.
Due to stiff competition from the trotros, they too could not survive. And because of the ease with which one can start operating a public transport service, anyone who found a windfall of money got attracted to the business.
Many public/civil servants, including police and military personnel used trotro and taxi business as second source of income, Makola women too. The effect is the kind of congestion that we find on the streets of Accra and its environs.
Typical traffic congestion on the streets of Accra.
With the increasing rate of unemployment and the advent of technology which brought about ride hailing services, fresh university graduates got their benefactors to get them cars that they use for Uber, Bolt Yango etc.
Also, in order to avoid the inconvenience caused by the existing public transport system, many individuals and families make it a prayer point to own their own vehicles. Once the prayers are answered, they buy their cars and join in the traffic.
With all these changes, one thing remained constant- same road network albeit with few interchanges introduced within the last fifteen years or so.
Those who can do something are doing something else
I believe I followed the electoral campaign for election 2024 keenly. I do not0 recall much being said about an Accra-Kumasi Expressway.
That is what gave Dr Bawumia the impetus to mock now President Mahama’s much touted “Nkuko nkitinkiti” initiative as trivial. “Nkuko nkitinkiti” was the most popular policy proposal by the NDC, matched only by “one job, three shifts” a.k.a 24-hour economy.
Suddenly, an expressway between the two cities has been brought to the front burner of the incumbent government’s priorities, with billions of cedis quickly committed to its completion.
Artists’ Impression- A section of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway
The Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, says the government is fully committed to completing the 198-kilometre Accra–Kumasi Expressway within the next three years.
And that project is part of a broader Big Push agenda. “We have budgeted 30 billion for Big Push. President Mahama will finish this project before he leaves office,” Ato Forson told Parliament.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
Much as I want to wish the project success with a good heart, I feel pain each time it is mentioned in the news. Pain of jealousy. Yes, because linking Accra to Kumasi in a manner that makes one make the four-hour journey in 2 hours is good. But should that be the topmost priority?
How many people are in a hurry to go to Kumasi and back in a day? Such people have the option of traveling by air, or? Some say they smell a big fat rat. Me, I only work with evidence.
Moreso, when an existing Accra-Kumasi highway project is 64% complete?
Francis Asenso-Boakye
Hear the immediate past Minister for Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso Boakye, “Since President Kufuor’s era, there has been significant work to provide a modern highway from Accra to Kumasi. Under President Kufuor, we had major interventions — from Circle to Taifa, the by-passes at Nkawkaw and Nsawam, the Nkawkaw–Apedwa highway, and the Fumesua–KNUST section in Kumasi.
“It was then for President Mills and President Mahama to continue, but that did not happen. President Akufo-Addo revived the project, and so I urge the government not to abandon it, with the project already 64 per cent physically complete.”
What happens elsewhere
As I grumble over when Accra’s commuting challenges will ease, I could not help but juxtapose our situation with what pertains in New York. Twenty-five years ago, I mean two decades and a half, when I visited, traveling within the Big Apple was such a delight. Whether by train, bus or yellow cab, one could move with ease.
New York
And eleven years ago, the grace of God took me to London. What fascinated me most was the fact that while standing at the bus stop, one is given an indication, through an LED screen, of when the next bus is coming. Exactly at the indicated time, the bus shows up.
London
Without any shoving and heckling, passengers board and sit comfortably to their destinations. Why not Ghanaians? Why can’t we have it here when all we have to do is to go, copy, come and implement?
The need for a ‘Big Push’ in Greater Accra’s urban transport system
I describe the suggestion I am about to make as a ‘Big Push’ because I believe that like its infrastructure reset namesake, if implemented, we will bid goodbye to the frustrations posed by the current urban transport system we have in the country’s capital city.
And I dwell on a quote attributed to billionaire Elon Musk, “When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favour.”
Therefore, if I have the opportunity to have President John Mahama, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mrs Linda Akweley Ocloo, Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe and all the Municipal, Metropolitan and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) within the region as captive audience, here is how things would unfold.
The Cabinet of President John Dramani Mahama consists of the ministers of state appointed by him.
I will show them two video recordings of daily commute by residents in the region and one each of video recordings of urban transport system in New York and London.
I am sure their reaction will be “but we have experienced these systems at first hand ourselves.” Then I will repeat the question “Why can’t we have it here?”
I expect to see President Mahama’s eyebrows raised and Mrs Ocloo’s face light up with excitement. As for the MMDCEs, I anticipate that they would turn to look at each others’ faces.
I also suppose that Mr Nikpe will respond, “Look, these systems were bult centuries ago. Where in Accra do you want us to start building such huge urban transport infrastructure from, with all the congestion? As a matter of fact, where will the money come from?”
Then I would respond, “Can we start from somewhere?”
After this reaction, I can imagine that President Mahama would ask me, “What are you driving at?”
To this statement I would quote Elon Musk-“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favour.”
I would follow this up with my suggestion:
- Let’s call the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and allied unions as well as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) for a meeting within a week.
- Let’s tell them that with effect from January 1, 2026, no private individual will be allowed to register a vehicle for public transport within the Greater Accra Region.
- Let’s give the GPRTU and allied unions up to 30th June, 2026 to transfer all existing trotros to Takoradi, Cape Coast, Koforidua and Aflao for operations. Those who can go farther should be encouraged to do so.
- Tell them that with effect from 1st July, 2026, a new urban bus transportation system will be introduced. Let them understand that this system will mimic what pertains in London and New York.
- They should be convinced that this is in the BEST interest of residents in the region.
- Give them the opportunity, as corporate GPRTU or transport unions, to own 40% of government’s 45% share in the Metro Mass Transit Limited. This will ensure that they support the initiative completely
- Make it clear to them that this approach is being used because OSA and City Line could not compete with them.
- And Metro Mass Transit Limited, a.k.a, “Aayalolo” has failed to accomplish its Mission- “To provide reliable, safe, efficient and, affordable mass transport services by road,” because of their uncontrolled number of trotros.
It’s time to go
Clearly, the current system whereby I and my wife can contract a loan today, and put 100 trotros and 50 cars for ride hailing services on Accra’s roads cannot continue.
That is taking the meaning of the statement on our coat of arms- “Freedom and Justice” too far. Some regulation needs to start, and now, even if my suggestion above is found to be too utopian.
And to think that because they have pushed out the buses, they can take advantage of commuters with their near ‘monopoly’ status. Why do I say so?
To add to the frustrations of commuters, especially during the rush hours, many trotro drivers have decided to adopt a tactic that they use to fleece their passengers. Instead of a direct trip from Kasoa to Accra or vice versa which will cost say GHC12.00, they load Kasoa to Mallam and charge GHC10.00, then from Mallam to Accra another GHC10.00 is charged, making the total fare GHC20.00.
To my mind, this can only persist in a country where duty bearers fail in their duty. I do not think that President John Dramani Mahama’s government, with a mantra to reset the country should turn a blind eye to the continued suffering of the people who voted massively to elect NDC’s 34 out of the 36 Members of Parliament in the region.
As for the decision by the Ministry of Transport to introduce buses during the rush hour as a measure to curb the cheating of passengers, it can best be described as a wasted effort. That’s because these buses, once they have loaded the passengers, join the long traffic jam created by the trotros.
As such, the way to go is to give all trotros in the Greater Accra Region, a ‘Big Push’ out of the jurisdiction.
0No president can implement this out of the box proposal, other than John Mahama. That’s because he has no election to lose. What he has is a RESET charge to Keep. So, help him God!
