The State Transport Company (STC) is facing a survival crisis following years of mismanagement and extensive privatisation under the previous government, the company’s Deputy Managing Director, Nurudeen Hamidan, has disclosed.
Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Monday, December 1, Hamidan described the current state of STC as “heartbreaking.”
He recounted that prior to 2016, the NDC government had procured about 50 brand-new Marcopolo buses and nine Toyota Hiace buses. In 2020, the NPP government purchased an additional 100 buses. However, mismanagement and losses over the years have left the company with fewer than 40 operational buses.
“The day I went to STC, I nearly cried. When you walk around the STC, you can see that visually, the soul of the company has left itself. The place is deserted; we do not have buses. Before 2016, we got about 50 Marcopolo buses and nine Toyota Hiace buses. We lost power in 2016, and handed over to the NPP. In 2020, NPP bought 100 buses. As I speak, we can’t boast of 40 of them,” Hamidan said.
He added that the company now relies heavily on partnerships with private business owners who purchase buses and operate them under STC’s system, with the company earning a commission.
“Without these alliances, we wouldn’t even be able to pay salaries,” he said.
Originally established to provide passenger transport, train drivers for government vehicles, conduct DVLA vehicle inspections, and evaluate state vehicles, STC has seen most of its services privatised, leaving it struggling to fulfil its original mandate.
