Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga has proposed the deployment of dedicated lanes for Aayalolo buses during peak hours to allow them to move more quickly.
He explained that the buses could be made to use one lane on the opposite side of a congested road during peak hours in the morning to arrive at their destinations on time.
The Minister made the proposal during a visit to the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive, where he engaged with officials on measures to strengthen the operations and effectiveness of the Aayalolo bus system.
He also suggested the use of motorbike escorts to help Aayalolo buses navigate traffic during peak hours.
According to the Minister, the proposed arrangement would improve the efficiency and reliability of the Aayalolo bus service and could encourage more motorists to leave their private vehicles at home and use public transport.
He believes increased patronage could, in turn, improve the profitability of the state-supported bus service.
Mr. Ayariga said the initial plan under the previous NDC administration was to provide dedicated lanes for Aayalolo buses on major roads, but he acknowledged that the arrangement had not achieved the desired results.
“The original plan which I have seen us implement in the initial NDC government was to designate a space on the main road for Aayalolo buses, a dedicated route. That doesn’t seem in my opinion to have worked very well,” he said.
“In my view, at peak hours, when you are struggling on the right side, the left side is usually empty. And then at peak hours, when you are struggling on the left side road, the right side is empty,” he explained.
The Minister said Government intends to engage the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Interior Minister and relevant security agencies to explore the feasibility and safety of the arrangement.
“So, we want to sit with the IGP, Interior Minister and his team and see if it is possible that at peak hours, from 6am to 9am in the morning, one of the lanes on the opposite side can be dedicated to Aayalolo so that they will move fast.
“I see that the IGP has bought a lot of bikes for the MTTU guys. If we can have each bike leading one bus between the hours of 6am and 9am to really ensure that it is safe and provide advance warning to oncoming vehicles on the major routes,” Mr. Ayariga said.
He said the proposed intervention would be aimed at ensuring that Aayalolo buses maintain predictable travel times, making the service more attractive to commuters.
The Minister’s proposal forms part of efforts to improve public transportation and reduce congestion on major roads, particularly during peak commuting hours.
