Ghana’s Urban Transport Crisis: Beyond the Trotro and Bus Shortage
Imagine leaving work at 5 p.m., only to spend the next three hours waiting at a bus stop, uncertain when the next “Trotro” will arrive or how much the fare will be. For countless commuters in Accra and Kumasi, this has become a daily reality, one that has grown even more pronounced in recent days. While it is easy to blame “not enough Trotro or Ayalolo buses,” the problem runs far deeper. Ghana’s urban transport challenge is rooted in a decentralised governance system in which local assemblies hold responsibility for intracity transport. The effectiveness of this system, however, depends on the enforcement of laws, adequate resources, and coordination mechanisms, elements that have not been fully operationalised. As a result, mandates are spread across multiple institutions, oversight capacity varies, and no single body can be held clearly accountable for the daily struggles commuters face.
Between 1989 and 2017, the Metropolitan Assemblies were reorganised into municipal and sub-metropolitan authorities, each with constitutional responsibility for intracity transport within its boundaries. While assemblies receive some funding through statutory and internally generated funds, these funds have proven inadequate for the scale of urban transport management required.¹ Assemblies lack sufficient capacity to deploy adequate inspection staff, maintain robust enforcement systems, and invest in the infrastructure needed for effective regulation. Moreover, dividing large metropolitan areas into sub-metropolises and municipalities has created coordination problems, since transport routes and daily commuting patterns often cross administrative boundaries. Similar challenges are increasingly evident in other rapidly growing cities, including Kumasi.
This structural arrangement has created an accountability vacuum, with no single institution bearing clear responsibility for outcomes. When citizens seek answers, the Ministry of Transport notes that intracity transport falls under the assemblies’ constitutional mandate.²This is countered by some analysts who argue that while assemblies have formal responsibility, inadequate funding and limited enforcement capacity constrain their effectiveness.³ Some government officials blame “Trotro” drivers and GPRTU for creating artificial scarcity and engaging in rent-seeking behaviour to inflate fares.⁴ In response, the transport unions cite heavy traffic congestion that prevents drivers from making multiple daily trips, poor road conditions, and the actions of unregistered “floating vehicles” operating outside union structures.⁵ Meanwhile, the current Metro Mass Transit management alleges that over 300 buses were sold for as little as GH¢2,500 each shortly before the 2024 elections,⁶ a claim the previous administration disputes.⁷ This diffusion of responsibility, with each claim carrying partial validity, makes it difficult to establish clear accountability and implement coordinated solutions.
One of the clearest manifestations of Ghana’s urban transport accountability vacuum is found in the regulatory framework and its weak enforcement. Legislative Instrument 2180, enacted in 2012, governs road traffic regulation and commercial vehicle licensing, but it has not produced a consistently enforced, route-specific licensing system for urban public transport. Instead, permits are issued for broad license areas rather than specific routes, allowing drivers to focus on popular routes while other parts of the city receive limited service.⁸ The experience of the Ayalolo buses exposes this failure: of the 245 buses procured in 2016, only about 80 remain operational today.⁹ This reflects a recurring pattern in which governments procure buses without fixing the underlying system, only for fleets to break down and eventually be sold as scrap.¹⁰
Addressing this transport crisis requires both immediate action and longer-term reform. In the short term, the government should deploy MTTD personnel at vantage points to ease traffic flow, strictly enforce route-based mechanisms, expedite the procurement of buses with clear timelines, establish emergency coordination mechanisms across metropolitan assemblies, and strengthen oversight of existing regulations, including approved fare structures. These actions can provide relief to commuters while creating space for deeper change.
Beyond immediate relief, the government must address the structural foundations. This includes establishing dedicated, predictable financing for urban transport through ring-fenced allocations that reflect the actual costs of regulation and service delivery; creating formal coordination structures that enable joint planning across assembly boundaries within metropolitan areas; investing in digital systems for route licensing and compliance monitoring; and developing clear performance frameworks that define who is responsible for what and track results across institutions. These reforms require legislative action, institutional capacity building, and sustained political commitment across government levels.
These are long-standing challenges that require sustained attention rather than quick fixes. The problem goes beyond Trotro or bus shortages- It lies in how responsibilities are assigned, resourced, and coordinated across institutions. Ghana has the policy frameworks and legal instruments to address them. The path forward depends on aligning institutional responsibilities with adequate resources, strengthening coordination across assemblies, and building systems that hold duty-bearers accountable for results. Without these foundational shifts, the cycle of crisis and temporary intervention will continue.
By Dr. Eric Agyeman
Policy Analyst, IPPG