A preliminary investigation into the operations of the Aayalolo bus system has uncovered that no revenue has been recorded from 60 buses transferred to Kumasi since 2018.
The probe also revealed serious lapses in accountability and the absence of a clear operational framework, with 44 out of the 60 buses currently grounded.
Following the findings, the managing director of the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive, Awudu Dawuda, has commissioned an independent audit to determine how the buses were transferred and managed and how revenue, if any, was handled over the years.
The audit, expected to be completed within a month, comes after it emerged that no funds from the Kumasi operations had been paid into GAPTE accounts since the buses were relocated.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Dawuda described the situation as a breakdown in systems and oversight.
“Ever since the buses were taken to Kumasi in 2018, not even a single pesewa has been received as revenue by GAPTE. There was no proper plan for these buses; they were sent there without recourse to law,” he stated.
Initial findings indicate that the buses were handed over to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly for management, while GAPTE engineers continued to handle maintenance, with costs borne by the Assembly.
The audit will also investigate how six of the buses were destroyed by fire and examine the full chain of custody and financial management.
With backing from the minister of local government, chieftaincy and religious affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, GAPTE has since taken over 54 of the buses in Kumasi, with efforts underway to reclaim an additional 10 buses from the Western Region.
Mr Dawuda revealed that only 16 of the buses were operational when they were retrieved, but early operations over the past two weeks have begun generating “very good revenue”, prompting plans to repair and redeploy the remaining fleet.
He further disclosed that out of the 245 buses procured in 2016 under the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, only 80 were functional when he assumed office, largely due to poor maintenance practices.
As part of ongoing reforms, GAPTE has increased the number of operational buses to 140 after refurbishing 60 vehicles. The buses now run extended hours from early morning to around 11 p.m. to improve urban mobility in Accra.
Mr Dawuda also highlighted challenges including encroachment on key terminals at Kasoa, Adenta, Kinbu, and Achimota, as well as longstanding fuel debts.
However, he noted that all encroached terminals have now been reclaimed, and maintenance facilities such as the Achimota depot have been renovated to support routine servicing.
Looking ahead, GAPTE is working to reintroduce dedicated lanes for the Aayalolo buses to ease congestion and improve efficiency. The agency has secured approval from the Spanish government for a €1 million grant to conduct a feasibility study on the dedicated lanes.
“We are collaborating with city authorities and the Ghana Police Service to enforce the use of these lanes. Very soon, Aayalolo buses will begin operating on them again,” he added.
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