Deadline for new commercial vehicle stickers March 31
Commercial transport operators (drivers of trotros and taxis) have up to March 31, this year, to secure new transport stickers from their various assemblies within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA).
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Operators who fail to comply, according to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Chief Executive, Mr Alfred Oko Vanderpuye, will face appropriate legal sanctions.
“Please note that the closing date for renewal is March 31, 2014 after which non compliance operators will be dealt with according to the law,” he stated.
The introduction of the new stickers, which comes in blue for all categories of trotros and red for taxis, is part of the implementation of a standard vehicle sticker by the Steering Committee on Urban Transportation (SCUTA).
The SCUTA is made up of 13 assemblies that are to enjoy the services of the bus rapid transit (BRT) project within the GAMA.
Explaining the rationale for the implementation of the new stickers, Mr Vanderpuye said it became necessary to harmonise the stickers issued by the 13 assemblies after SCUTA’s enforcement exercise revealed that some drivers used fake stickers as a result of the multiple stickers issued by the various assemblies.
“The issuance of these new colour-coded stickers shall commence this month, January 2014, in all assemblies,” he stated, and directed all registered transport operator entities such as the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Cooperatives and Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA) to acquire their 2014 operating permits from the assemblies they registered with.
It is envisaged that the new stickers will also check the ‘floating driver’ menace, which is attributed to congestion at bus stops on Accra’s roads.
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Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) associations
Even before infrastructural works begin on the newly selected Accra-Amasaman BRT corridor, three transport companies which will secure the buses and operate them have been established. They are the Accra GPRTU Rapid Bus Transit Company Limited, Amalgamated Bus Transit Services Limited and the Ghana Co-operative Bus Rapid Transit Association Limited.
Mr Vanderpuye said about 86 buses would be needed, and it was also envisaged that the three companies would run three different services on the Amasaman corridor.
New timelines for BRT
“We emphasis again that the government is committed to starting the High Quality Bus Services in July, this year,” Mr Vanderpuye stated.
The Accra mayor indicated that the engineering studies on the Amasaman-Tudu and the Adenta-Tema Station were far advanced while preparations, according to him, were also being made to procure the services of a contractor to undertake the infrastructural works.
Writer’s email: naa.bentil@graphic.com.gh