Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia on Wednesday, November 27, outdoored the first batch of 100 fleet of electric buses (EVs) for the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMT) to revamp its operations and improve Ghana’s transportation system.

It will reduce the cost of public transport in the country, enhance accessibility, and contribute towards the global reduction of carbon footprints.

The initiative forms part of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia Government’s ambition to modernise, innovate and transform the country’s public transport sector.

The pilot phase of the programme has, therefore, set the benchmark for integrating green technology into Ghana’s public transportation system and ensuring healthier and efficient transport.

Inaugurating the 100 buses at Adentan, a suburb of Accra, Vice President Bawumia said the introduction of the EVs would lower the cost of public transport by 40 to 50 per cent.

The intervention, he said, would also reduce the operational and maintenance cost of the MMT by 50 per cent.

“I’m so elated to stand before you to commission the first batch of electric buses for Metro Mass Transit Limited to augment its fleet, promote its operations and usher in a new era of innovation in the delivery of public transport services,” he said.

“As the Minister said, the move towards electric vehicles is not only aimed at the MMT, but the whole public transport sector.”

Dr Bawumia said when he first suggested the idea of moving public transport in Ghana to electric vehicles, many thought it was not possible.

“They said it was an election promise that will not be fulfilled. And unfortunately, this is the mindset of impossibility. And it was at play in this situation, as it has been at play for the last eight years that we have been in government.”

The NPP Flagbearer said the Government’s broader vision was to transform the entire public transport sector, which would facilitate a credit facility for members of the Ghana Public Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and other organised transport associations to acquire electric buses.

He, therefore, encouraged all individuals operating transport businesses to join an organised transport union to benefit from government’s intervention.

Despite “naysayers” professing the “mindset of impossibility” towards government’s innovative initiatives, he was unfazed and determined to follow through to the implementation of the EVs for public transport in Ghana.

“I had no doubt in my mind that this was possible. If other countries can deploy electric buses for public transportation, why not Ghana?…The transport sector, as you all know, is a major contributing factor to the growth of our economy, and most importantly a necessary pre-condition for the guaranteed success of education, jobs, markets, and health care among others,” he said.

The EVs would revolutionise the transport sector and contribute towards the global net zero carbon emission.

The Government would collaborate with the Technical, Vocational Educational Training (TVET) institutions to train technical staff to serve as manpower workforce for the EVs, Vice President Bawumia said.

Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiama, the Minister of Transport, said the EV programme was part of government’s broader vision to transform the entire public transport system.

The 100 buses were just the pilot phase to identify the challenges in their operations and rectify them before being expanded nationwide.

Mr Albert Adu Boahen, the Managing Director, Metro Mass Transit Ltd, expressed gratitude to the Government for supporting the company with the buses to revamp its operations.

He lauded government for launching the Electric Policy Framework in 2023 to guide the implementation of the EVs in Ghana.

Mr Adu Boahen said the MMT would reduce its fuel cost by 55 per cent, ensure affordable transport fares and improve passenger experience.

The company had also put up charging facilities along the EV routes from Adentan-Accra and Ashiaman-Accra for the pilot phase.

It has also trained technical staff for proper maintenance of the vehicles and their sustainability.