The cacophony of Accra’s artificial rush hour and the ‘short short’ syndrome

Over the past few weeks, long queues have become familiar sights at major bus terminals and bus stops across the city. Each morning and evening, frustrated commuters wait endlessly, raising a troubling question: Is the city genuinely facing a shortage of public transport, or is the situation deliberately engineered?

Many commuters suspect that the rush-hour chaos is not accidental. Some believe some members of transport unions, particularly within the GPRTU, deliberately create artificial shortages to justify charging exorbitant fares during peak hours. Whether this is a case of rising commuter numbers overwhelming the system or a calculated strategy to exploit demand remains unclear—but the impact on the public is undeniable.

Government and relevant stakeholders must urgently address the situation. The current state of public transport in Accra is not only inconvenient but deeply exploitative by the private transport owners.

Kwadwo, a daily commuter, told me the situation has significantly worsened. He believes the government must take firm control of the public transport system and dismantle what he describes as a “cabal” that has hijacked the sector for private gain.

“How can you board a vehicle from Madina to Accra, only for the driver and mate to say their last stop is 37?” he asked. “Everyone is dropped at 37, then the same vehicle reloads passengers heading to Accra again. This practice deliberately frustrates commuters and makes us vulnerable.”

Another commuter, Paa Kweku, believes the situation has become the new normal. According to him, commuters must now budget for multiple fares just to complete a single journey.

“If you are coming from Pokuase to Accra, you may have to make two stops,” he explained. “At each stop, you pay a new fare—even if you board the same vehicle. So, you pay two times in one car. If you complain, you simply won’t get to work.” The situation is worse in the evenings.

Franklin shared a similar experience, noting that the only time commuters enjoy a direct journey is very early in the morning, usually before 6:00 a.m or mid afternoon from  2:00 pm.

“Those hours are not rush hours,” he said. “Once peak time begins, the multiple-stop system starts. You either comply and pay several fares or go back home or sleep in town. After rush hour, fares return to normal.”

The situation is further compounded by Accra’s rapidly growing population. According to MacroTrends (2025), Accra’s urban population has been growing at about 2–2.6 percent annually. The metro area population is estimated at approximately 2.861 million in 2026, representing a 2.62 percent increase from 2025, while the 2025 population grew by 2.46 percent from 2024. This steady growth places increasing pressure on an already strained transport system.

Patricia said that during the 2025 festive season, the Ministry of Transport intervened to curb fare exploitation, a move that offered temporary relief. However, some commuters insist that short-term interventions are not enough. What is needed is a lasting and enforceable solution before the situation spirals further out of control.

In a separate conversation, a private transport owner who asked to remain anonymous revealed that transport unions often obstruct government efforts to reform the sector. According to him, leaving public transportation largely in the hands of private unions allows them to dictate fares and operational practices purely for profit. “There is a powerful cabal within the unions,” he claimed. “Any meaningful government initiative that threatens their control is sabotaged.”

The question that remains unanswered is this: How did a critical public service like transportation fall so completely under private control, leaving the government virtually powerless? Until this imbalance is addressed, Accra’s commuters will continue to pay the price—literally and figuratively—for a system that appears designed to fail them during their most vulnerable hours.

A driver I spoke to at one of the stations said charging exorbitant fares is not entirely their fault but a result of the heavy traffic situation during rush hours. He explained that travelling to Adenta around 5:00 p.m. can take no less than three hours because the roads are usually choked with traffic. During that time, a lot of fuel is consumed and by the time the driver returns, the fuel gauge is often in the red. He, therefore, called on the government to construct more link roads to ease congestion, which, he believes, would allow drivers to maintain the original transport fares.

Kweku noted that government intervention during last year’s festive season brought significant relief to commuters and should be sustained. In his view, the government ought to procure more buses—both large and small—for the Aayalolo and Metro Mass Transit Company to better serve the commuting public.

He further explained that the unfair and arbitrary charges imposed by some public transport operators stem from the fact that many of these vehicles are not registered with any union and operate without designated stations. He, therefore, called on the GPRTU to step in and clamp down on such operators to help sanitise the transport system.

A station master at one of the terminals explained that many private transport drivers who charge exorbitant fares are not members of the GPRTU. According to him, these drivers have infiltrated the system to tarnish the image of the union. He said the GPRTU is working closely with the authorities to clamp them down and remove them from the system.

He noted that the union has received numerous complaints from commuters, and assured that decisive action will be taken soon. However, he also blamed some commuters for preferring to wait at bus stops and other unauthorised locations instead of boarding vehicles from approved terminals.

He explained that once commuters abandon designated stations and create informal roadside terminals, drivers take advantage of the situation by charging excessive fares. To avoid this, he advised commuters to use recognised transport terminals, where fares are regulated and more reasonable.

Yaa said the government needs to reset the public transportation system and make it more effective by putting regulative measures in place to ensure the safe running of the system. The road network must be improved as well to ease traffic congestion. It is important for the government to also procure more buses for the state-owned bus transport companies to enable them to control fares because that is what is done in most other countries.

There is a need to look at other ways of transportation like the railways, which can be the fastest and cheapest form of transportation, and river transport. All these can help curb this menace before it gets out of hand. As the population of the cities is growing there is a need to find a lasting solution to this problem.

Managing Ghana’s transport system requires firm regulation, public investment, technology and political courage. When transport is treated as a public good—rather than a free-for-all business—the result is affordability, efficiency and dignity for commuters.

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