The dean of Greater Accra Region Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), Desmond Sowah Laryea, has said that public transport is an investment and not merely a service.

Speaking after the inauguration of the 4th Executive Council of the Greater Accra Public Transport Executive (GAPTE), he stressed that it is time Ghanaians moved beyond the belief that “government runs” means “free of charge”, adding that the buses require innovation and additional purchases.

“The most important thing is that we have to inject some innovations to the transport management because most often we all think that when we have government transport buses it is something that is for free, no that's not what it is so far as we are collecting money from passengers we have to make sure that we invest and increase the numbers,” he stated.

Mr Laryea added that the transport sector makes a massive contribution to the development of the country and therefore should not be sidelined. Instead, authorities should focus on maintaining the sector to generate more revenue and meet the needs of the people.

He urged transport operators to undergo safety training to improve efficiency and ensure services are timely. He also called on operators to prioritise passenger safety in order to prevent accidents on the roads.

He assured the public that the board is making efforts to secure more buses to expand the existing fleet, while also modernising them for passengers’ comfort and making them more appealing to serve the public well.

“Safety is everything if you look at the way accidents are happening I would urge all the operators of buses and all officials to undergo some form of health and safety training to ensure that our buses too are modernised so that people will sit inside and feel free,” he said.