Fifty new TATA buses for the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMT) were commissioned at the State House on Wednesday, 29 February.

The fleet forms part of 150 buses being secured by the company to enhance its operations.

According to the Managing Director of MMT, Maxwell Awuku, the board and management of MMT were currently undertaking massive infrastructural development unprecedented in the history of the company which includes the construction of new depots and terminals in Tamale, Bolgatanga, Ho, Cape Coast, Wa, Tarkwa, Takoradi and Kumasi depots.

The Minister for Transport, Alhaji Collins Dauda, told the gathering that government, through various funding sources, has acquired buses for the company’s operations since its establishment.

He commended MMT for purchasing 150 buses worth US$11 million, stressing that the remaining buses would be delivered by the end of March.

He said the company currently operates from the 10 regional capitals to the remote areas in Ghana and added that with the on-going programme to acquire additional buses all districts will be covered so as to offer affordable transport services to people in the rural and urban areas.

Alhaji Dauda stated that the company, since its establishment, has employed over 4000 people across the country to address corruption and robbery in the nation.

He stressed that the company will expand, create more jobs and provide safer and more efficient scheduled services to passengers in order to increase productivity level in Ghana.

He added that the delivery of the fifty TATA buses and the soon to be delivered 100 Ashok Leyland buses would encourage the MMT task force to offer reliable intra-city, inter-city and rural-urban services to the general public.

Alhaji Dauda urged the management to strictly adhere the manufacturer’s maintenance programme to sustain the buses.

He advised the drivers of the buses to also drive with care and passion in order to avert careless and preventable accidents on our roads.

“The relatively high road crushes and its fatalities, injuries and damages to properties experienced last year are still fresh in our minds. Road traffic crashes and its resultant casualties are major public health and development problems that lead to deaths and injuries in the country.

“Statistics available last year showed a very alarming situation. Provisional records showed that over 10,000 crashes were recorded and about 14,400 vehicles resulting in the deaths of over 1,679 persons and about 10,000 injuries.”

He stated that injuries and fatalities threatened to reverse the country’s developmental gains over decades of investment.

The minister noted that injuries placed a heavy burden on the country’s economy through the direct impact on health care and rehabilitation services as well as indirect costs, saying most of these crashes were caused by human errors.

He appealed to suppliers of the buses, Tata Africa to provide the requisite training to mechanics and drivers of MMT and ensure the availability of spare parts to reduce the break down of the buses.