Managers of the Quality Bus System (QBS) in Accra, have revealed that the programme is still operating at a loss, about eight months since commercial services commenced in the capital, Accra.
Reports indicate that, about 197 out of the 245 Aayalolo buses imported into the country for the QBS, have not been used since 2016.
The situation has led to low patronage of the system resulting in the inability of the company to earn enough to cover operational costs. The State Transport Company (STC), has even indicated that, it is looking to acquire some of the buses to augment its fleet
Addressing the media after a tour of some bus terminals, the Chief Executive Officer of GAPTE, Sampson Gyamenah, admitted that low patronage of the bus service since the programme commenced in 2016 has kept the company in the red.
“We still have a long way to go to be able to break even. We are ramping up the number of passengers and that is the real challenge. When we started the patronage was very poor. In December, we were doing an average of 1, 400 passengers a day.”BRT buses.
He however indicated that, the situation had seen some improvements in recent months revealing that they were transporting more than six times the number of people they used to daily.
“It has really picked up and we’re currently doing close to 9, 000 passengers a day on this corridor. We have challenges especially at our stops and our dedicated facilities, but with a lot of education and sensitization, we’re overcoming them.”
Having been originally touted as the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), the QBS was rather introduced, following the inability of the government to provide dedicated lanes for the buses which had been a major selling point of the BRT.
Source: citifmonline.com
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well surprised? No,not at all, The whole mind set was just evil and foolishness. Trying to make Kuffour"s metros a dead issue.Such evildoers and hate mind set goes no where.Such is the evildoers in NDC and ex president John Mahatma.President Kuffour"s name and deeds will always be remembered.
THE LOW PATRONAGE OF THE AYALOLO BUSES IS ALSO PARTLY DUE TO THEIR EARLY CLOSING PERIODS AS WELL AS THEIR CLOSURE ON SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS. IT LONG OVER DUE FOR THE MANAGERS OF THE BUSES TO KNOW THAT PEOPLE USE BUSES OR TROTRO FOR VARIOUS AND NUMEROUS PURPOSES SO NO SERIOUS PASSENGER WILL PREPAY HIS/HER LORRY FARE ONLY TO BE DENIED SERVICES AFTER 9 PM OR NOT EARLIER THAN 5 AM OR ON SUNDAYS, AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS. THEY SHOULD RECONSIDER THEIR WORKING HOURS AND DAYS; AND PEOPLE WILL START PATRONIZING THEIR SERVICES. IDEALLY FEW BUSES SHOULD START WORKING LATEST BY 4 AM AND CLOSE BY EARLIEST BY 10 PM INCLUDING SUNDAYS, AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL BUY INTO IT. MAY THE GOOD LORD HELP MOTHER GHANA. AMEN.