Metro Mass Ups Fleet To 1,048 Vehicles

The Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMT) has increased its fleet of passenger vehicles to 1,048 as part of efforts aimed at meeting the consistent rise in demand for its services nationwide. Out of the number, 800 of the buses are often deplored onto the road on daily basis while the remainder either remain on standby or undergo routine maintenance to be able to replace worn out vehicles as well as those that may break down in the course of operations. The company’s fleet is made of assorted buses, including 45, 62 and 70-seater capacity buses, MMT’s Communications Manager, Mr Eric Boadi-Misa, said in an interview. Mr Boadi-Misa disclosed this to the GRAPHIC BUSINESS on the side-lines of the National Policy Fair, which ended on October 18. Metro Mass, which provides low-cost transportation services in all corners of the country, participated in three-day event to, among other things, expose its line of service to the general public as well sample their opinion about its operations. Mr Boadi-Misa said added that the company’s fleet was acquired through its internally generated fund (IGF) while others were acquired for it by the government, which is the sole shareholder. He said although MMT had strengthened its fleet capacity, it had maintained the number of routes that it operates on and the depots at which it services that fleet. The company has three depots in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale and its routes are 423. On the company’s finances, Mr Boadi-Misa said “it is superb.” “The good thing about us is that the routes that our competitors don’t use, we use them and however low the earnings are, it adds to our income,” he said. He, however, added that the bad nature of the country was posing a major huddle to the company’s operations and called for interventions to help reduce the problem. “We operate in almost every corner of the country despite the bad nature of the roads and that cost us a lot. If the roads were good, things would have been better,” he said.       Source: Graphic.com.gh