The Ministry of Transport has rolled out a programme to educate private commercial vehicle drivers to desist from using the dedicated lanes meant for the Rapid Bus Transit (RBT), popularly known as Aayalolo buses.
As part of the programme, the ministry would be meeting the various driver groups, including the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), to engage with them and listen to their concerns for redress.
The Minister of Transport, Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, made this known in an interview with the Daily Graphic after the Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Ghana paid a courtesy call on him in Accra last Tuesday.
According to the minister, the programme has become necessary because some drivers are almost taking over the RBT lanes.
He stated that, the ministry had been meeting with key stakeholders in the transport sector, including officials of the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE), operators of the Aayalolo buses, to fashion out a way to resolve the issue.
The visit by the officials from CILT Ghana was to congratulate Mr Asiamah on his appointment as sector minister and also introduce the executive members of the institute to him.
Consultation
According to Mr Asiamah, the drivers were opposing the idea and taking over the bus lanes because proper consultation was not done to address their needs before the system was eventually rolled out.
“What we’ve begun doing is carrying out proper consultation and education with the relevant stakeholders, especially the transport operators, about the RBT system because it has come to stay,” he stated.
The transport minister assured members of CILT Ghana that the ministry would work hand in hand with them in key decision-making processes, drawing on their rich experience to help transform the sector.
CILT President
For his part, the President of the CILT Ghana, Mr Ebo Hammond, expressed disappointment about the level of road crashes that occurred in the country annually.
Okada ban
Mr Hammond called on the government to take measures to enforce the road traffic regulation which banned commercial motorcycle operations in the country.
“There are a lot of reports on the nuisance Okada is causing on our roads; hence, the government ought to take the necessary steps to enforce the Road Traffic Act (Act 683) of 2004 and Legislative Instrument (LI) 2180,” he prayed.