Upper East Regional Minister Akamugri Donatus Atanga has demanded answers from the State Transport Company (STC) over what he described as disturbing reports of ticket shortages, reduced services and repeated breakdowns of buses serving the region.
The minister raised the concerns during a meeting with STC management in Bolgatanga after residents complained about growing difficulties accessing the company’s services.
According to Mr Atanga, some passengers travelling from Accra to the Upper East Region are now forced to book tickets four or five days in advance because of limited seats.
But he said the availability of tickets was only one part of the problem, with the condition of buses emerging as an even bigger concern.
He cited the experience of a passenger who claimed that three of six journeys made on STC buses ended in breakdowns, including an incident that allegedly left passengers spending the night in the bush.
“The second one is that the buses that are allocated to Upper East are not healthy,” the minister said.
The situation, he said, was creating the perception that residents in the northern sector were being short-changed in the provision of public transport services.
“Either they are undermining the north, or the company doesn’t treat us well. They put only rotten buses for our region,” he said.
Mr Atanga said although he had personally experienced STC buses breaking down and, on other occasions, found buses fully booked, he had not realised the extent to which the problems had become a regular burden for passengers.
“You are providing the services for my people. So I have to come meet you and understand what the situation is,” he said.
STC admits fleet shortage
STC management admitted that a shortage of buses was affecting services to the Upper East Region.
It disclosed that the Bolgatanga depot previously operated two daily services to Accra but now operates only one because of limited bus availability.
“Initially, we do two services to Accra every day. But now, because of the availability of the bus, we do only one service,” management said.
The shortage, it said, had also affected services from the region to Accra, Tema, Kumasi, Sunyani and Takoradi.
Management further explained that the introduction of online ticket booking had changed the way passengers accessed seats.
It said passengers could now book remotely, meaning tickets could be sold before travellers physically arrived at the Bolgatanga station.
“Somebody might be sitting home comfortably and go online and book a ticket,” management said.
It therefore attributed some of the difficulties passengers face at the station to the increased use of online bookings.
‘The breakdown is too much’
On the complaints about frequent breakdowns, STC management acknowledged that the condition of some of its buses remained a major challenge.
It attributed the breakdowns partly to the state of the buses, the long distances they travel and road conditions along the routes.
“And because the bus is weak, and our road, too, is also not conducive for motorists and all this, the breakdown is too much,” management said.
The company also acknowledged that passengers could be left waiting for several hours when buses broke down.
According to management, when a bus develops a fault around Tamale or farther south, engineers and recovery teams have to travel from Bolgatanga to the location before repairs can begin.
“At times, we spend a lot of hours before we recover them,” management said.
The situation is compounded by the limited number of buses available, making it difficult for STC to immediately deploy replacement buses when breakdowns occur.
Minister takes matter to Transport Ministry
Mr Atanga said he would raise the concerns with the Minister of Transport when he travels to Accra.
He said the condition and availability of STC buses serving the Upper East Region could no longer be treated as a routine operational matter given the impact on residents travelling between the region and other parts of the country.
The engagement was aimed at understanding the difficulties facing the STC depot and pushing for measures to improve the reliability of services to passengers in the region.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
