The Ministry of Transport said it has made alternative arrangement on Monday to ease transportation challenges across the Greater Banjul Area due to strike action by commercial drivers. 

The ministry said it is working with the Gambia Transport Service Company (GTSC) to fully deploy its fleet of buses. 

In a statement the ministry said: “This deployment strategy is in line with Government’s Transport Policy to ease the difficulties currently faced by commuters.

“The bus services will run beyond normal operational hours and will cover the following routes:

– Brikama – Banjul which will be in multiple runs  

– Kanifing – Brikama (multiple runs)

– Sunchu – Banjul (multiple runs)

– Tippa Garage – Sanyang Jambanjelly, Jambur, Jabang & Sukuta (multiple runs)

– Sukuta – Banjul (multiple runs)

– Tippa Garage – Banjul (multiple runs)

– Brusubi – Banjul (multiple runs)

– Westfield – Bakau (multiple runs)

– Buffer Zone – Banjul (multiple runs)

– Westfiled – Manjai (multiple runs)

– Mandinaring – Banjul (multiple runs)

– Tabokoto – Banjul (Multiple runs)

– Kartong – Banjul via Gunjur, Tujereng, Tanji & Brufut (multiple runs)

– Giboroh – Banjul (multiple runs)

– Kanifing Estate – Bartez (multiple runs)

There will also be special bus services on standby to respond to upsurge in demand especially in congested areas within the Greater Banjul Area. 

“Meanwhile the provincial bus services will still run as normal.”

Members of The Gambia Transport Union are staging nationwide strike on Monday over fuel prices and the costs of using the Senegambia Bridge. 

However the ministry has decried the strike action saying that they are “engaged in discussions with the Union to resolve the challenges confronting the sector”. 

It said there was no justification for the drivers union “to increase transport fares in a situation of chaos and disorder where commuters are charged multiple fares for the same route.

“Over the last two years, the Ministry of Transport came up with various initiatives including a pilot ‘route licensing model’ as a strategy to eradicate multiple charging on the same route. 

“While the Ministry is currently studying a number of options to support the transporters and ameliorate the challenges they are going through, several innovative solutions are also being proffered obliging all commercial vehicles to have clearly identifiable stickers with indicative destinations to stop multiple charges of commuters.”

“On the crossing fee at the Senegambia Bridge, it should to be noted that the Government of The Gambia has not increased the tariff but rather maintained the same tariff since the inauguration in 2019,” the ministry added.

In July, President Adama Barrow commissioned 33 new buses as part of his Accelerated Urban Transport Initiative project, which is aimed at easing urban transportation.

The Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure has learnt with regret, a call to strike action by The Gambia Transport Union at a time when the Government is engaged in discussions with the Union to resolve the challenges confronting the sector.

The Ministry of Transport takes note of the content of the press release issued by the Transport Union and wants to assure the public that this Ministry is open to discussion with the Union.

The Ministry of Transport has always maintained that in as much as it wants to champion the cause of the transport sector and to negotiate a fair deal with the transporters, it is not justifiable to increase transport fares in a situation of chaos and disorder where commuters are charged multiple fares for the same route.

Over the last two years, the Ministry of Transport came up with various initiatives including a pilot ‘route licensing model’ as a strategy to eradicate multiple charging on the same route. While the Ministry is currently studying a number of options to support the transporters and ameliorate the challenges they are going through, several innovative solutions are also being proffered obliging all commercial vehicles to have clearly identifiable stickers with indicative destinations to stop multiple charges of commuters.

On the crossing fee at the Senegambia Bridge, it should to be noted that the Government of The Gambia has not increased the tariff but rather maintained the same tariff since the inauguration in 2019.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Transport is pleased to inform the general public that it is working with the Gambia Transport Service Company (GTSC) to fully deploy its fleet of buses across the Greater Banjul Area starting Monday. 

This deployment strategy is in line with Government’s Transport Policy to ease the difficulties currently faced by commuters. It could be recalled that 38 new buses were launched to curb challenges in the sector.

The bus services will run beyond normal operational hours and will cover the following routes: