Hundreds of passengers stranded at major terminals in Accra as work and school resume. Acute intercity bus shortage causes frustration, long queues, and missed reporting fears amid post-Christmas travel rush.
Hundreds of passengers travelling out of Accra to various parts of the country were left stranded yesterday at major transport terminals across the capital, following an acute shortage of intercity buses amid the post-Christmas and New Year travel rush.
The situation, which coincided with the resumption of work and school after the festive holidays, led to scenes of frustration as commuters scrambled for limited transport amid heavy human and vehicular traffic in the city.
At the Kaneshie-Takoradi VIP Station, hundreds of passengers intending to travel to Takoradi and Cape Coast were left unattended to, as there were virtually no buses available. Long queues formed as early as dawn, but by midday, most passengers were still waiting without any indication of when buses would arrive.
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The majority of those affected were students returning to their campuses. Some told The Ghanaian Times that they arrived at the station as early as 4:00 a.m., but as of 12:00 noon, they were still stranded. The students, expected to report by 4:30 p.m., were visibly distressed, fearing they would miss reporting deadlines and face possible sanctions.
Similar scenes played out at the main VIP and STC stations at Circle, where long queues of stranded passengers struggled to secure tickets. Many commuters were seen standing with luggage under the scorching sun, while others sat on their bags anxiously, monitoring movement within the stations.
Station managers were unable to state exactly when the situation would be resolved. One manager, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained that the problem arose because many buses had been hired by organisations and event planners for Christmas and New Year excursions.
He added that poor road networks in some parts of the country had further worsened the situation, delaying the return of the few available buses and making it difficult for them to arrive in Accra on time for reloading.
As a temporary measure, managers at the Kaneshie station advised passengers to return home and come back from midnight onwards, hoping more buses would have returned by then.
The General Manager of VIP Jeoun Transport Company Limited at Circle, Mr. Adakabre Frimpong Manso, attributed the surge in passenger numbers to the reopening of KNUST and Second Cycle Schools, as well as travellers returning after Christmas festivities.
However, many passengers expressed strong dissatisfaction, calling on transport operators to plan better for peak travel periods, especially during major festive seasons, to prevent a recurrence of the ordeal.
