Akufo-Addo instructs Ofori-Atta, Asiamah to solve Aayalolo ‘bottlenecks’

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has instructed the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Transport to work together and find a solution to the “bottlenecks” at the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE), the Minister of Information has disclosed.

GAPTE, operators of bus rapid transit system Aayalolo, halted operations with the pretext that patronage has reduced due to the lockdown in Accra.

The Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, had indicated last Wednesday that transport companies including Aayalolo will continue to operate during the 14-day lockdown period to aid in the transport of essential workers.

But on Thursday, GAPTE officially announced a temporary shutdown over the potential losses to be incurred during the lockdown period.

At a media briefing on Friday, Mr Oppong Nkrumah disclosed that a cabinet meeting held on Thursday saw the president instruct Ken Ofori-Atta and Kwaku Ofori Asiamah to “quickly get together and resolve whatever bottlenecks there may be there for which reason Aayalolo suspended services [on Thursday]”.

“Because especially at this critical time when you are asking people to [be] socially distant on transport, you must ensure that the state transport like Aayalolo is functioning.”

He indicated that 'trotros' are essential in this period of lockdown and must be allowed to operate provided the social distancing rules are observed.