GAM came under fire shortly after the central government transferred the regulation of public transport within Amman from the Ministry of Transport to the local authority on 19 November.
Tha Abu Reden, spokesman for GAM, denies the municipality’s dual role would lead to conflicts of interest.
“There is no provision in the law that prohibits GAM from being a partner in a private company," he says. "Besides, we will enforce the law for every company operating in the sector within GAM regardless of our relationship with it.”
A-Mutakamelah is the city's largest bus operator, with 280 buses in the capital. It is financially backed by GAM.