From Promise to Disappointment: My Experience with Intercity STC

Last weekend, I set out on what I thought would be a simple, straightforward trip to Cape Coast. But instead, I found myself caught in a whirlwind of delays, confusion, and mismanagement at the hands of Intercity STC, a state-owned company once held in high regard, but now symptomatic of the deeper dysfunction facing many public enterprises in Ghana.

It all began at a crowded private terminal in Accra, where the unusually large number of travelers made it nearly impossible to secure a seat to the Central Region. A friend suggested I try STC instead, and to my surprise, he mentioned they now had an online booking platform. Skeptical, but intrigued, I checked the portal and to my amazement, it worked.

The website showed me the exact number of seats left on the Cape Coast-bound bus, allowed me to make payment, and even provided the vehicle registration number and a clear departure time: 12:00 PM, with check-in at 11:00 AM. Impressed by this rare example of digital efficiency from a public institution, I rushed to the STC terminal, excited that my transportation woes had been resolved.

But that excitement didn’t last.

Thirty minutes passed. Then an hour. Then two. Passengers waited with no official word on why the bus hadn’t arrived. Eventually, an announcer offered a half-hearted apology and promised a bus was on the way.

Finally, around 2:00 PM, two hours late, a bus pulled into the terminal. Everyone sighed in relief and began boarding. But chaos soon returned.

Luggage took another 30 minutes to be sorted. Bags were stacked and squeezed in every available space clearly more had been accepted than the bus could handle. Just when we thought the ordeal was behind us, another announcement stunned us all: we had to disembark and board a different bus. The original vehicle, we were told, had finally returned from the washing bay. Yes!! The bus meant to depart at noon had been at the washing bay.

We finally left the station just after 3:00 PM. But the problems didn’t end there. Midway through the journey, it became clear the bus had been overbooked. With only 44 seats available, several passengers were left to sit on the floor for the rest of the ride. A trip that began with such promise, thanks to a surprisingly smooth online booking system ended as a case study in poor management, disrespect for time, and a lack of basic accountability.

Unfortunately, this experience with STC is not an isolated one. It reflects a broader reality: too many state-owned enterprises in Ghana have become shadows of their former selves, struggling with inefficiency, bureaucratic inertia, and an alarming disregard for customer service.

Compare this with private transport operators like VIP and VVIP, which, despite their imperfections, have built reputations for relative punctuality, reliability, and professional conduct. Their survival depends on it, unlike state enterprises, they can’t rely on government bailouts when passengers lose faith.

The truth is simple: when there are no consequences for poor performance, mediocrity thrives.

If public institutions like STC are to remain relevant in a competitive transport industry, they must urgently adopt the ethos that drives successful private businesses — responsiveness, reliability, and respect for the customer.

Digitization is a good start, but it means nothing without the human systems and operational discipline to back it up.

As taxpayers and citizens, we deserve better not just a bus that shows up on time, but institutions that respect our time, our money, and our trust.

By: Fred Tettey Djabanor – Head of the Current Affairs Production at Citi FM and Channel One TV