Commuters travelling into Accra’s Central Business District are set to have another option during peak hours as the government rolls out a contra-flow system for Aayalolo buses on four major routes.
The arrangement, which begins today, is being implemented on the Amasaman–Accra, Pokuase–Accra, Adenta–Accra and Kasoa–Accra corridors, all of which experience heavy traffic during peak periods.
Under the new system, Aayalolo buses will be prioritised for commuters making longer journeys into central Accra, while trotros and other commercial passenger vehicles will continue to handle shorter trips along the corridors.
The government says the approach is intended to make better use of the high-capacity buses by moving large numbers of passengers at once and easing pressure on commercial vehicles.
Local Government Minister Mahama Ayariga said the arrangement is designed to give Aayalolo buses and trotros distinct roles within the public transport system.
“We want to leave that business of somebody who wants to move from Adenta to Madina, leave that to the trotros. Somebody who is picking a car from Madina to Legon, leave that to the trotros because the trotros don’t have that much room space.
“The Aayalolo buses take 80 people at once so when you take 80 people of those who are going directly to Accra Central from Madina, it means that you are freeing space for the trotros to be able to pick the short distances and move faster so they may actually get more volumes that way than they are getting now,” he explained.
The government expects the arrangement to improve the movement of commuters during the busiest periods by allowing Aayalolo buses to focus on high-volume, longer-distance trips.
The four selected corridors are among the major commuter routes into Accra and regularly experience significant traffic build-up, particularly during the morning and evening rush hours.
The contra-flow arrangement is therefore intended to improve the efficiency of public transport while reducing pressure on the road network during peak periods.
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