Upper East Minister Grills STC Over Ticket Shortages and ‘Rotten’ Buses – “Are You Undermining the North”

By – Sadat Dabo 

Upper East Regional Minister, Akamugri Donatus Atanga, has confronted management of the State Transport Company (STC) over growing complaints about ticket shortages, reduced services and frequent breakdowns of buses operating in the region

The engagement followed complaints from residents and passengers about difficulties securing tickets and concerns over the condition and reliability of STC buses serving the Upper East Region

According to the Regional Minister, some passengers travelling from Accra to the Upper East are being forced to book tickets four to five days in advance to secure seats

He also cited a disturbing complaint from a passenger who reportedly experienced bus breakdowns on three out of six STC journeys, with one incident allegedly leaving the passenger stranded in the bush overnight

“The second one is that the buses that are located to Upper East are not healthy,” the Minister said

Mr. Akamugri said the situation had created the impression among residents that the northern sector was not receiving adequate attention from the state-owned transport company

“Either they are undermining the north, or the company doesn’t treat us well. They put only rotten buses for our region,” he said

The Minister explained that although he had personally experienced STC buses breaking down and occasions when buses were full, he had not been aware that passengers were experiencing such difficulties regularly

He said his engagement with management was aimed at understanding the challenges facing the company and finding practical solutions to improve transportation services in the region

“You are providing the services for my people. So I have to come meet you and understand what the situation is,” he said

STC explains ticket shortages

Responding to the concerns, STC management attributed part of the difficulty passengers face in securing tickets to the introduction of its online booking system

Management explained that passengers can now book seats remotely, meaning tickets may be purchased online before customers arrive at the Bolgatanga station

“Somebody might be sitting home comfortably and go online and book a ticket,” management said

Upper East loses second daily Accra service

STC management also disclosed that the number of buses available to the Upper East depot has reduced significantly, forcing the company to cut back on services

The company said the Bolgatanga station previously operated two daily services to Accra, but now operates only one because of the limited availability of buses

“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 reduction in fleet has also affected services connecting the Upper East Region to Accra, Tema, Kumasi, Sunyani and Takoradi

Management said the shortage of buses has made it difficult to maintain the level of service previously provided to passengers

STC admits ‘weak’ buses are breaking down

On the frequent breakdowns, STC management acknowledged that the condition of some of its buses remains a major challenge

Management attributed the breakdowns partly to the condition of the buses, the long distance to the Upper East Region 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

Management also acknowledged the passenger’s account of experiencing three breakdowns in six journeys, explaining that passengers could be left waiting for several hours when such incidents occur

According to the company, the response time depends on where a breakdown occurs

If a bus breaks down around Tamale or farther south, engineers and recovery teams have to travel from Bolgatanga to the location before repairs can begin

STC said the process could take more than six or seven hours, as engineers have to travel to the stranded vehicle, assess the problem, carry out repairs and get the bus back on the road

“At times, we spend a lot of hours before we recover them,” management said.
The company further explained that its limited fleet makes it difficult to immediately deploy replacement buses whenever a breakdown occurs

The engagement has consequently placed renewed focus on the reliability of STC services in the Upper East Region, with questions now being raised over whether the company can restore its second daily Accra service, improve the condition of buses assigned to the region and provide passengers with more dependable transportation

Source – gbcuraonline.com/UERCC