Work Starts On OSA Complex At K'dua

WORK has begun on a three-storey office complex building for the Omnibus Service Authority (OSA) bus terminal at Koforidua.

The project, which has been on the drawing board for about three years due to scarce resources, has now taken off in earnest.

The Koforidua Depot manager, Mr. Francis A. Gameti, who made this known in an interview with the Chronicle, said the purpose of the project is to provide good transport service and enhance the image of the company.

The project when completed would comprise offices, a passengers' lounge and shops, but the depot manager could not give the total cost of the project.

He said the purpose of the shops would serve as an additional source of revenue to the company which is presently under-resourced and debunked criticism from a section of the public that the bus terminal is being reconstructed to build shops.

"We are not neglecting our main responsibility as a transport company. We need additional resources to keep the company running, he stressed.

Commenting on the state of their buses, the depot manager said most of their buses, some of which are over 10 years old, keep breaking down and constantly have to be repaired.

Two buses, he disclosed, are currently in operation and are running the routes of Oda to Abirem and Ho to Aflao and added that three buses are completely out of service.

Lack of adequate resources has forced the company to rely on income generated from the two buses in operation to pay salaries for its 23 workers at Koforidua, including arrears dating back to seven months, Gameti revealed.

The depot manager hinted that the company is making plans for the acquisition of new buses and expressed the hope that this would bridge the wide gap of competition between OSA and other transport organisations.