The government is set to deliver 140 new buses to the State Transport Company (STC) within the next two months, the Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, has announced.

This, he said, forms part of the government’s efforts to improve public transportation and address the growing challenges facing commuters and long-distance travellers across the country at a time when concerns have heightened over the availability, reliability, and convenience of public transportation, particularly as demand for intercity travel continues to rise.

During an interview with Citi TV’s Bernard Avle on Monday, June 8, on the Breakfast Show, the Transport Minister indicated that,

“...STC will also have 140 buses, and we will be able to have more high-occupancy buses”.

He acknowledged that the government is aware of the difficulties that citizens are experiencing with transport nationwide; hence, not only will the government provide STC buses, but 100 more Metro Mass Transport buses will also be delivered.

“We know the difficulties that we are experiencing with transportation, but we are very certain that the next 100 MMT buses will come in within the next two months,” he added.

His remarks also sought to address concerns surrounding the deployment of the 100 Metro Mass Transit (MMT) buses commissioned earlier this year.

According to the Minister, the government’s transport expansion agenda goes beyond the recently commissioned MMT buses and includes a significant investment in the State Transport Company to enhance intercity transportation services.

Meanwhile, last year, the government announced that the Inter-City STC Coaches Limited (STC) is moving to reclaim a bungalow and parcel of land in Kumasi that was leased to a private individual for 50 years.

The property, located on prime land within the Oforikrom Municipality, was originally used to accommodate STC guests and visiting officers as a cost-saving measure for the company.

However, the facility was later abandoned and subsequently leased to a hotel owner under an agreement that involved demolishing the bungalow and redeveloping the site into a hotel.

Following a recent inspection of the premises, STC's Deputy Managing Director, Nuru Hamidan, expressed disappointment over how the property was handled by the previous administration, describing the situation as unsatisfactory in an interview with Adom News.

"The past administration gave the entire structure for a 50-year rent to redevelop it into a hotel," he said, emphasising that the STC’s mandate is to run transport services, not to give away government properties on rent.

Nuru Hamidan noted that negotiations are currently underway with the private individual to reclaim the property so it can once again serve its original purpose.

He further revealed that approximately two-thirds of STC’s 22.68-acre land in Kumasi has been encroached upon, with both permanent and temporary structures springing up on the site.

Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama announced that five billion Ghana cedis (GH¢5 billion) will be allocated annually for road maintenance.

According to him, 166 constituencies identified as having some of the country's worst roads have been earmarked to receive 10 kilometres of roads, drains, and pavements annually over the next four years.

Speaking during the official launch of the government's flagship infrastructure development initiative, the Big Push Programme, at Afienya on Tuesday, September 16, President Mahama explained that this would provide each constituency with 40 kilometres of roads by the end of the period.

He added that the initiative would not only focus on new road construction but would also ensure the proper maintenance of existing roads.

"So every year, the Ghana Road Fund is going to put aside about five billion cedis a year for road maintenance alone, pothole patching, desilting, grass cutting, and all the things that keep the roads in good shape," he said.

He added that while some communities might not find their roads listed under the Big Push Programme, there was a separate allocation for ongoing road works across the country.

He assured traditional rulers, farmers, and citizens that these funds would continue to improve roads not captured under the new initiative.

According to him, beginning next year and through to 2027, Ghanaians would notice a significant improvement in the quality of roads nationwide.

Parliament, on July 30, unanimously endorsed the government's proposal to channel all royalties received from oil revenues and mineral resources towards the implementation of the Big Push Programme.

This followed the government's request for Parliament to approve the commitment of funds to support the construction of selected road projects. Presenting the report of the Joint Budget and Finance Committee to the House, Chairman of the Finance Committee, Isaac Adongo, said: "The Committee has carefully considered the referral and thinks that the request is in the right direction."