In an immediate response to the severe transport difficulties faced by commuters during peak hours in the capital, the Ministry of Transport, through Minister Hon. Joseph Bukari Nikpe, has announced the emergency deployment of buses on four major Accra corridors.
The measure, which commences today, Wednesday, December 10, 2025, is an interim solution aimed at ensuring commuters are able to get home safely and mitigating the long waits and exorbitant fares often experienced after work.
“We are going to employ some buses commencing from today, 10th December, and we will ensure that those buses are available at the peak hours to support our commuters who have closed from work to get home safely”
Hon. Joseph Bukari Nikpe, Minister for Transport
Minister Nikpe confirmed that the Ministry is collaborating with the Intercity State Transport Corporation (STC) to implement the deployment. The strategy involves “mopping up” STC’s long-route vehicles that return to Accra at convenient times and would otherwise be idle until their next day’s schedule, redirecting them to congested intra-city routes.
The Minister emphasized the immediate and interim nature of the deployment, designed to provide critical relief to the thousands of workers who struggle daily to secure transportation in the evenings. The operation is strictly focused on peak hours, “running from 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM,” a period generally characterized by crippling congestion as the city’s daytime population swells from surrounding peri-urban areas.
Under the arrangement, the Ministry has committed to deploying a minimum of eight buses to each of the four identified corridors. This number, the Hon. Nikpe noted, is the starting point, with the Ministry actively working to ensure the fleet is increased in the coming weeks to effectively handle the volume of commuters.
“We are ensuring that we mop up all those vehicles and ensure that they are on our routes. So for now we have identified four major corridors that we are going to deploy a minimum of eight buses to each of the corridors”
Hon. Joseph Bukari Nikpe, Minister for Transport
Targeted Corridors
The Minister of Transport identified four major arterial routes where the public transport shortage and subsequent congestion are most acute. These corridors will be the immediate beneficiaries of the emergency deployment, ensuring coverage across some of the capital’s busiest entry and exit points.
The Accra-Madina-Adenta corridor: This northern stretch connects the capital’s center to densely populated residential areas.
The Accra-Achimota-Amasamai corridor: This route serves the north-west quadrant, where rapid urbanization has significantly increased commuter volume.
The Accra-Malam-Kasoa route: The Kasoa stretch is notoriously congested, serving as a gateway to the Western and Central regions and large satellite communities.
The Accra-Tema Beach route (leading to Accra-Tema): This eastern corridor is vital for linking the capital to the port city of Tema and its surrounding areas.
The deployment of a minimum of 32 dedicated buses across these routes (eight per corridor) during the intense 4-hour peak period marks a decisive action by the Ministry to stabilize evening transport.
For months, commuters have faced difficult conditions, including long queue times and fare hikes driven by the simple lack of available high-capacity transport options. While acknowledging that this is an emergency measure, the Minister assured the public that the intervention is focused on improving safety and reliability for commuters leaving work.
The long-term goal, he reiterated, is to consistently increase the number of buses deployed to ensure that the Ministry is “able to pick all our commuters home safely.”
This strategic deployment utilizing STC resources serves as a clear indication that the government recognizes the urgent need for robust public transport solutions in Accra, a city where inefficient travel times already contribute significantly to lost economic productivity.
The success of this interim operation will be closely watched by the commuting public as the Ministry works toward broader, long-term urban transport reforms.
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