Mahama Ayariga recounts resistance to Ayalolo contraflow plan before successful trial

Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has recounted how some transport sector officials resisted his proposal to introduce a contraflow arrangement for Ayalolo buses in Accra, insisting that the plan was impractical. Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday, November 10, Mr Ayariga said some officials repeatedly tried to dissuade him from implementing the arrangement, despite his conviction that it would improve the movement of the buses.

He said the disagreement persisted until the eve of implementation, when some officials spent several hours in his office trying to convince him to abandon the proposal. According to him, the officials remained in his office until about 10 pm, making various arguments against the plan. Determined to establish whether the arrangement was feasible, Mr Ayariga challenged them to conduct a practical trial at 5 amm the following day.

He said he was prepared to take matters into his own hands if the officials refused to participate. “I had to threaten and tell them that at 5 am I will be there. If you don’t drive, I will probably drive the buses myself and do contraflow so that you will see that it is possible,” he recalled. Mr Ayariga said the officials eventually reported for the exercise, and the first trial proceeded smoothly.

He subsequently requested a second trial to assess the return journey and establish how long it would take to complete the trip. He said the second exercise, during which he also travelled on the bus, further demonstrated that the arrangement was workable. “It worked, and when we returned, I told them the exercise had shown how simple and achievable the arrangement was.

They eventually embraced it and are now excited about its implementation,” he said. Ayariga targets more Ayalolo trips With the contraflow arrangement now in place, Mr Ayariga said his next priority was to maximise the operational capacity of the Ayalolo buses by increasing the number of trips they make daily. He believes the buses, which currently undertake three trips, could manage between four and six journeys, depending on passenger demand.

The Minister said he intended to push operators to expand the schedule, arguing that more trips would enable the service to carry additional passengers and improve its financial sustainability. “I am 100 per cent sure that they can do as many as six trips instead of the three trips,” he said. He said the actual number of additional journeys could be determined by passenger volumes, with operators considering four, five or six trips depending on demand.

Mr Ayariga also called for greater transparency in the presentation of the service’s financial records, saying a clear account of its operations would help determine whether the proposed expansion was financially sustainable. He maintained that increasing the frequency of Ayalolo services was necessary to make better use of the buses and strengthen their operations.