Board Chairman of State Transport Company (STC), Samuel Oppong has vowed to ensure that the state-owned transport operates from the Asafo bus terminal in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region. This follows a move by the VIP bus operators on Monday morning to stop STC from operating from the Asafo terminal.
The two transport operators in Kumasi – VIP and STC – clashed Monday morning over space to operate.
Passengers onboard the STC bus were held hostage for hours as the operators of VIP blocked STC buses from departing, an eyewitness onboard STC who gave his name as Jerry told Onua FM morning show ‘Yen Nsempa’.
Operators of VIP buses who spoke to Akoma FM’s Kwame Baffoe Agyekum said they will do everything within their powers to resist STC operating at Asafo bus terminal.
They also alleged that there are some unseen hands in the NPP party that are doing everything possible to collapse their business.
They also accused the state operator of slashing transport fares to almost half.
Meanwhile, the board chairman of STC , Samuel Oppong insisted that he will ensure that STC operates from the terminal, adding that a proper permission was sought from the city authorities and wondered if the operators of VIP were afraid of competition.
While admitting that STC is on its knees, Mr Samuel Oppong explained that “If you are selling a product and someone also brought the same product to the same market, all you need to do is to ask yourself what can I do to ensure that people patronize my product. There are about 500 workers of STC, should we let them go or what, we went for permit, the space is there so we also came to do business just as they were doing. We brought only 3 busses today, meanwhile you have over 400 busses, why the complaints?”
The Board Chairman revealed that “passengers are not coming to the STC terminal as compare with the Asafo bus terminal, so we decided to come here so that the company can also rake in some revenue. If we realize that this terminal is too small for us, we will move back to our old place. No way, we will not bow to their pressure, STC will operate from here, there are laws in this country, so long as we have permit, and we will not budge”.
He maintained that if the operators of VIP busses will not allow the STC to operate from the Asafo bus terminal, VIP may be forced to relocate.
By Bright Dzakah/Onua 95.1fm/3news.com