The Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE), and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), have issued a warning to motorists who use the Aayalolo bus lanes and terminals to desist or face sanctions.
According to GAPTE, motorists found culpable will pay a fine ranging from GH¢ 150 to GH¢ 300.
The AMA placed a ban on the enforcement of the traffic and parking violation laws by GAPTE due to the non-existence of a Board in 2017, but the ban has now been lifted, paving way for the body to sanction recalcitrant drivers.
[contextly_sidebar id=”SlhmwSjwvSJDfJXI7oajN3ws26lt4PwX”]Speaking to Citi News, the Communications Manager for GAPTE, Fred Chidi, said enforcement of the law will take effect on Monday, March 12, 2018 on the Accra CMB-Amasaman corridor, which is the only route the bus currently plies.
He noted that vehicles found to have been parked in the middle of the dedicated lanes will be towed and their owners will be surcharged.
“Light duty towing is about GH¢ 250, medium-duty vehicles will be GH¢260 and big trucks if they are towed, will attract a fee of GH¢ Ghc300. The notice is going to them because we will ensure that the rules are strictly enforced this time because these fines are not imposed by GAPTE, it is the Assembly that has come up with this rule. It is the Assembly’s rules that we are enforcing. From Monday, you’ll see enforcement activities on the corridor between Amasaman and Tudu and it will be supported by the MTTD of the Ghana Police Service,” he said.
The BRT service was launched in 2016 and currently has its buses, christened ‘Aayalolo’, plying the Amasaman-Ofankor-Achimota-Accra corridor.
Although the service has not experienced any major challenge so far, it is yet to attract optimum interest among commuters as most still prefer to board other commercial vehicles, popularly known as ‘trotro’.
Recent reports suggested that several months into commercial operations, the Aayalolo bus service is yet to make profits.
The dedicated lane currently used by the buses is less than one kilometer long, but it is often occupied by parked or broken-down vehicles with some commercial drivers taking over the lanes to avoid waiting in traffic.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana