After going through daily frustrations and exploitations from Trotro drivers, Accra’s tired evening commuters may finally breathe a little easier this festive season.
Their frustrations and cries have been temporarily dealt with by the government after months of long queues, surprise fare hikes, and frantic scrambles for a seat home.
The Ministry of Transport is rolling out a temporary relief package, and luckily, it is not taking the normal bureaucratic route; it is starting today, Wednesday, December 10, 2025.
Beginning this evening, the Ministry will deploy additional STC buses on four major corridors during peak hours, a move aimed at easing the frustration many workers endure daily and curbing the creeping exploitation by some commercial drivers.
For countless commuters, the routine has become painfully familiar: drivers abruptly doubling fares, charging long-distance rates for painfully short trips, or refusing to move unless passengers agree to inflated prices.
In recent days, a normal five-minute hop from Accra to Circle can cost almost as much as a full journey to Kasoa. Even worse, some trotros deliberately break longer routes into shorter, overpriced segments.
This is a practice passengers have long complained about but felt powerless to fight. Transport Minister Joseph Nikpe Bukari says the Ministry has heard the cries.
Speaking in Parliament, he announced that STC will “mop up” long-distance buses that return early to Accra and redeploy them between 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., the most difficult time for workers heading home.
The four corridors that will benefit immediately are:
Accra–Madina–Adenta
Accra–Achimota–Amasaman
Accra–Mallam–Kasoa
Accra–Tema Beach Road
Each corridor will have at least eight buses, offering commuters a safer, cheaper, and more predictable alternative when they need it most. The Minister says the goal is to be able to pick all commuters home safely.
For many Accra residents, especially lower-income workers already stretched thin by rising food prices and festive season expenses, this intervention could not have come at a better time. It promises fewer hours wasted in queues, fewer desperate negotiations with drivers, and fewer unexpected fares that drain the little money left after a long day’s work.
While the Ministry says this is a temporary or an emergency measure, there is a need for broader reforms to fix the city’s long-standing transport challenges.
But, for now, the immediate priority is to give weary commuters a bit of comfort and dignity, at least through the festive rush.
