The State Transport Company (STC) has rejected allegations that it deliberately assigns faulty buses to the Upper East Region, attributing recent service disruptions to a nationwide shortage of coaches.
The response follows complaints by Upper East Regional Minister Donatus Atanga Akamugri about frequent bus breakdowns, cancelled trips and ticketing challenges affecting passengers travelling to and from northern Ghana.
Speaking to Citi News, Deputy Managing Director of Intercity STC Coaches Limited, Alhaji Nuru Hamidan, acknowledged that the company was operating with an inadequate fleet, despite earlier plans to acquire 120 new buses to ease delays at its terminals.
“Everybody in Ghana knows that STC does not have enough buses. We have granted numerous interviews to explain our fleet challenges and account for our operations. At STC, we do not allocate specific buses to specific regions,” Hamidan said.
He explained that bus deployment was determined by passenger demand, vehicle availability and operational schedules rather than geographical quotas.
“Our buses operate on schedules. When a passenger books a ticket, the available bus serves that journey. We do not have particular buses reserved for Kumasi, Cape Coast or other regions, so we do not discriminate,” he added.
To address the fleet shortage, Hamidan disclosed that STC had entered into revenue-sharing partnerships with private transport investors.
He cited an alliance company identified as GH, which has supplied 50 buses for the busy Kumasi–Accra route, as an example of the arrangement.
“We are appealing to them to extend the arrangement to other regions. If that happens, some of those buses will be deployed there,” he said.
Hamidan noted that expanding the partnerships with private transport operators could help improve fleet availability and stabilise long-distance services, including routes serving the Upper East Region.
By:Rachael Djabakie