Revamp Aayalolo BRT for 24-hour service - Local Govt Minister charges GAPTE Council

The Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has charged the reconstituted Council of the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE) to ensure the revamping of the Aayalolo bus rapid transport (BRT) services for effective urban traffic management.

Mr Ibrahim also directed the council to take immediate steps to reclaim all properties of GAPTE in private hands and put them to beneficial use.

In giving those directives, the minister stressed that effective transport governance was a prerequisite for efficient mobility and city management, and must be prioritised.

"In the times we find ourselves, efficient management of transport in the city is one of the most pressing needs of the government. Transport is a function of inflation and growth; so if you are a country and you are joking with that sector, you will be in trouble," he stressed.

The Banda Member of Parliament said this when he inaugurated the 34-member council in Accra yesterday.

Members of the council were drawn from the ministries of Local Government, Finance, Transport; all the 29 metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) in the Greater Accra Region; and representatives from GAPTE, Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, Department of Urban Roads, and the Motor Traffic and Transport Division (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service.

Context

GAPTE was conceptualised under the Ghana Urban Transport Project (GUTP) as part of the Accra Modernisation Initiative in 2005, with the primary mandate to undertake transport planning, network development and public transport regulations within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA).

It also envisioned delivering world-class mobility services for GAMA through well-managed and innovative transit solutions, promoting safe, comfortable and easy access to social and economic services while adhering to the principles of sustainable urban and environmental development.

As a government agency, GAPTE is under the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, and manages the Aayalolo BRT system.

It was established between 2014 and 2016 to improve urban mobility.

GAPTE operates specialised, high-capacity bus services, including corporate and educational shuttles.

As of January 2026, only 80 of the 245 Aayalolo buses procured in 2016 were operational due to maintenance and financial challenges.

24-Hour Economy

Mr Ibrahim said as part of efforts to implement the 24-Hour Economy Policy, the government found the revamping of the Aayalolo BRT system as a strategic step to facilitate mobility and open up the economy.

In that regard, he asked the reconstituted council to devise appropriate strategies to position GAPTE in a better state to contribute to the success of the programme.

“Aayalolo must be revamped to provide 24-hour services to ensure effective and efficient public transport in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA),” he said.

The minister urged the various MMDCEs to prioritise and secure GAPTE properties within their jurisdiction in line with infrastructural development.

Reclaim GAPTE properties

Mr Ibrahim said it was unacceptable for private persons to encroach on the facilities of the GAPTE and Aayalolo BRT, for which reason, urgent steps must be taken to clear all encroachers.

He asked the council to take immediate steps to decongest the Kinbu area that stretches to the central business district of Accra to improve mobility in the city.

The transport service provider recently lamented the encroachment of its facility by a private developer.

“I charge this council to ensure that you go to Kinbu, Adenta, Kasoa, and reclaim GAPTE’s properties that have been given to private operators. Whoever gave those facilities out has not done us any good, and we must rescue the facilities,” Mr Ibrahim consequently stressed.

Additionally, he asked the council to ensure the establishment of transport departments across all the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) in the Greater Accra Region.

Collaboration

The minister asked the management of Aayalolo service to ensure that they plough back internally generated funds into the procurement of more buses to sustain their operations.

He also urged them to ensure that all BRT buses in other regions, such as Kumasi and Tamale, were brought under the direct control of GAPTE for coordinated management.

New dawn

The Manager of Aayalo BRT, Dawuda Awudu, told the Daily Graphic that through the intervention of the minister, the company had been able to refurbish and put 50 more buses on the road, taking the current fleet to 135.