The much-touted Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, also known as ‘Ayalolo Express,’ yesterday started in some selected areas of Accra with buses that have not been insured and registered.
One of the green buses, which plied one of four designated routes – Amasaman to Achimota to Circle and then to Tudu – was mostly seen without passengers.
Some of the commuters, who spoke to BUSINESS GUIDE, said they refused to board the buses because they were unlicensed, adding that the piloting was a bit premature.
A DV number plate was only seen on the dashboards of the buses.
The project is currently being undertaken on pilot basis and will later be extended to other parts of the country.
However, in an interview with journalists in Accra, Samson Gyamera, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GAPTEE, managers of the project, said the company was then collaborating with Regency-NEM Insurance Ghana Limited to insure the vehicles.
It is a criminal offence to operate a transport business without licensing the vehicles since they pose risk to the passengers, according to the police.
Backdrop
The BRT is under the Urban Transport Project (UTP) of the Ministry of Roads and Highways.
It is jointly funded by the World Bank, the Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), Government of Ghana and the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund at a cost of $95 million.
It is being jointly implemented by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Department of Urban Roads.
The process towards the implementation of the BRT started in 2007 when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was in power.
Between 2008 and 2009, it faced many difficulties, key among them being the stiff resistance from private transport operators.
In the early part of the NDC administration under late President John Evans Atta Mills, a team of government officials and some selected journalists were sent to Columbia to learn about the operations of the BRT in that country.
Accra-Mallam-Kasoa Corridor
Earlier, the Department of Urban Roads had planned to implement an advanced type of BRT on the Accra-Mallam-Kasoa road. That project has since been shelved because of inadequate funding.
The World Bank, a major partner in the project, was forced to pull out of the transaction because of the failure of government to meet the 2015 deadline since the project was expected to start after eight years.
Government is not well resourced for the full implementation of the BRT project, which is well rooted in countries like Rwanda, Ethiopia and Nigeria.
Political Gimmickry
A lot of people suspect that government is implementing the BRT without adequate preparation just to score political points a few months to elections just as in the case of the Komenda Sugar Factory which started prematurely.
They have therefore called on the country’s authorities to ensure the appropriate registration and licensing of the buses in order to protect the public.
Drivers Threaten Demo
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Some commercial drivers in the Accra metropolis have threatened to embark on strike to protest against the introduction of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) service.
According to them, the BRT could eventually drive them out of business.
By Cephas Larbi
cephrok@yahoo.com