Accra Commuters Face Severe Bus Shortages and Long Queues.
Endless queues at terminals as commuters struggle to get home.
Accra, Ghana- Accra’s transportation challenges continue to place heavy burdens on commuters, as long queues, limited bus service, and unpredictable wait times dominate daily travel across the city. For many residents, getting to work or school has become a frustrating routine marked by delays and overcrowding.
In recent weeks, major news channels have reported long lines at Circle, Kaneshie, Madina, and Tema, where commuters often wait several hours to secure a bus. Some residents say the system has become too unreliable and continues to affect productivity and punctuality.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, monitored by DM Media Online, the Acting Managing Director of the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive, Awudu Dawuda, explained that the organization inherited a system already struggling. He stated, “When I took over, we were left with only 80 buses out of the 245 buses that the government procured in 2016.” He also clarified that although the buses were meant for Accra, “60 were taken to Kumasi, 10 to Takoradi, and another 10 to Tamale at the behest of the then Ministry of Transport.”
He added that steps have now been taken to reclaim some of these buses for Accra’s use. According to him, “When I took over, I wrote to the people in charge of the buses in Kumasi, and approval has been granted for us to add the 60 buses there to the ones we have in Accra.” He further revealed the poor condition of many vehicles left in the city, saying, “Close to 60 of the buses were parked because they were broken down. What we did was to repair them through our own means to get them back on the road.”
Metro Mass deployed more buses in Accra on Jan 14 2025 to help deal with congestion and fare hikes by private commercial bus operators.
Senior Partner at AB and David Africa, David Ofosu-Dorte, explained to Citi Newsroom that, “Two things are very key for any urban transport service to work well: who controls terminals and who controls transit stops. Every vehicle must stop for passengers to board or alight.”
He believes the current arrangement has undermined accountability. According to him, “At a point, we handed over the control of these terminals to the GPRTU, and that is where the fight began. When a cartel controls terminals, it becomes difficult to improve quality and operate on schedules.”
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