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Statistics from the Steering Committee on Urban Transportation (SCUTA) in the Greater Accra Region indicates that a total of one hundred and one (101) illegal lorry stations have been operating within the Region without any legal permit. At a crowded press conference in Accra yesterday, the Chairman of SCUTA who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Dr. Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, described the situation as horrifying and indicated his outfit�s readiness to take proactive measures to eliminate all illegal lorry stations in the Metropolis. In giving the breakdown of some illegal lorry stations across the Region, the Mayor stated that there were eleven (11) illegal stations in Adenta, 8 in Ga East, 14 in Tema, 11 in Ashaiman and 12 in AMA. Flanked by all the 13 District Chief Executive Officers (DCE�s) of the various Municipal, Metropolitan and District Assemblies in the Greater Accra Region, Dr. Vanderpuije mentioned some of the problems confronting the Assemblies as regards the implementation of SCUTA policies as the unwillingness of some drivers and driver groups to have their operations regularized. According to him, there were 1,154 taxi drivers who had not complied with the bye-laws of the AMA and were without operating permits have now joined recognized Unions and Associations. He disclosed that 24 unapproved stations have been closed down leading to some improvements in traffic management in the places where their activities were bottlenecked. �We will like to stress that there are no restrictions on the free movement of all properly registered taxis and other public transport vehicles within the Greater Accra Metropolis �We want to use this platform to inform the operators that the right to operate public transport in Ghana is not an individual right. The government/ MMDAs have the right to determine who it permits to operate urban transport services within its jurisdictions,� Dr Vanderpuije stressed. He said, �It is government�s responsibility to provide enabling environment for the implementation of its laws and policies, hence the introduction of the BRT services to regularize the operations of transport operators in the region.� He therefore emphasized that by 1st January 2014, no unauthorized transport operator would be allowed to operate within the region without permit.