Ayalolo contraflow service not intended to make profit; they just need to break even – Ayariga

Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, says the government intends to operate the Ayalolo buses on a break-even basis under the contraflow arrangement, rather than prioritising profit. He said the state-owned buses were intended to provide affordable public transport and ease the movement of commuters in Accra, particularly during peak traffic periods.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday, November 10, Mr Ayariga explained that although the service must generate enough revenue to sustain its operations, profitability was not the primary objective. “The buses are owned by the public, so it is not entirely about making profits. It is all about breaking even, so if the mathematics shows that you can even break even, that public interest must be served by making the buses available as much as we can,” he said.

Ayariga pushes for more Ayalolo trips Mr Ayariga said he was also pushing operators to increase the number of daily journeys by ensuring that buses make return trips after transporting commuters to their destinations. He said the move was intended to maximise the use of the fleet and provide more transport options, particularly during the Christmas season when demand for public transport typically increases.

“We want to make sure that, in this Christmas season, there is a free flow of traffic across the Greater Accra area, and so we want to increase the fleet. In addition, I am pushing the Ayalolo team to make a return trip because I don’t want the situation where what we experience each year, during Christmas, you see desperate passengers stranded trying to commute to town,” he said.

The Minister said the priority was to make the state-owned buses available to as many commuters as possible rather than operate them solely to generate revenue. The government’s broader public transport plans include a target of moving at least 200,000 commuters daily through buses and a proposed light rail system.