The Management of the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE) has expressed concern over the lack of dedicated lanes for Aayalolo buses, noting that the situation is driving up operational costs and extending travel times for commuters across Accra.
GAPTE explained that the Aayalolo bus system was introduced to provide an efficient, reliable and affordable mass transit service. However, frequent traffic congestion on major routes continues to hamper operations and limit the system’s ability to deliver its intended benefits to passengers.
GAPTE says one of the major challenges affecting Aayalolo operations is the significant amount of time buses spend in traffic, resulting in longer journey times and higher operating costs.
Speaking in an interview Wednesday, September 9, Head of Transport Planning at GAPTE, Alex Johnson, identified the absence of dedicated lanes as one of the organisation’s key operational constraints.
He explained that journeys which could normally be completed within 25 to 30 minutes can take more than 90 minutes, as Aayalolo buses are forced to share congested roads with other vehicles.
“The lack of dedicated lanes is our major constraint. You have a corridor that you could be making within 25 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes if we had dedicated lanes but we end up spending over one and a half hours on these same routes.”
“Without having dedicated lanes for a BRT system, it makes operating city buses very expensive because they [the buses] have an optimal level of speed that should be attributed to running the corridor within a certain standard of time and so if we have dedicated lanes, you can plan and make sure that you are arriving at a bus stop every 5 minutes or 10 minutes.”