Accra, June 24, GNA - Mr Magnus Opare-Asamoah, Deputy Minister of Road Transport, on Friday said negotiations were ongoing with the Dutch Government for the acquisition of additional 150 DAF/Neoplan buses in 2006 under the Dutch Government concessionary financing. He said that 20 out of 100 DAF/Neoplan buses currently under construction at the Neoplan Assembly Plant in Kumasi would be ready for commissioning by the second week of July 2005.

Mr Opare-Asamoah said this in an answer to a question by Mr Samuel Johnfiah, NPP-Ahanta West, requesting the Minister to update the House on the regional distribution of the Metro Mass Transport (MMT) buses. The Minister said so far, the Government had provided the MMT with 75 DAF/Neoplan buses, 211 Fiat/Iveco and 150 Yaxing buses. "Currently 40 Fiat/Iveco buses have arrived at the port of Tema awaiting clearance." He said a further 100 DAF/Neoplan buses, 150 Tata, 250 Yaxing and 30 Fiat/Iveco buses are expected to be added to the MMT's fleet by the end of the year.

Mr Opare-Asamoah said the MMT operated in Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Tamale, Sunyani, Cape Coast, Koforidua and Swedru. He said under the Dutch contract, two expatriate staffs, with positions of Managing Director and Head of Engineering, were currently assisting in the management of the Company. "The Managing Director is being sponsored by the city of Amsterdam Bus Company and the Engineer by VDL, the manufacturers of the DAF buses."

He said to-date MMT had carried more than 80 million passengers in its areas of operation, which meant that an average of three million passengers were carried every month. "It is planned to extend the services of the MMT to all the remaining three regional capitals and that a rural - urban service will also be introduced to help ease transportation in some rural and urban areas."