TAXI OPERATORS TO SPREAD LOVE TO THEIR PASENGERS DURING TRANSPORT MONTH
By Montsho Matlala
Polokwane:SA National Taxi Council (SANTACO) commits itself to always remain a transport of choice for its commuters who act as vital engines driving the taxi industry.
SANTACO is busy with initiatives to better taxi services to the benefit and comfort of its customers.
“Please be on the lookout for cashless payment solutions, e-hailing services, taxi association corporatization and taxi driver formalization among other things,” Mmatshikhidi Phala, SANTACO national spokesperson has told Timeless News.
Phala advised passengers who experience bad treatment from taxis not to hesitate but report to the nearest taxi association offices.
“We admit that some of our ground forces being drivers, marshals and patrollers do not uphold the principle of commuter safety on continued basis.
“We want to assure all commuters that trough collaboration with Transport Education Training Authority (TETA) we are getting funding and training facilities to empower and upskill our ground forces to help them, especially with lessons to customer service and road safety.
“Through our disciplinary committee and conflict resolution offices, we equally facilitate consequence management in relation to those who are reported of ill-treatment by commuters,” she explained.
And the coming October Transport Month?
“Taxi operators in Limpopo will donate 200 shoes to Monene Primary School in Mokopane on 18 October. This is to give back to the communities that keep us in business by using our taxis for their daily commute. This will be repeated throughout all the five districts of Limpopo during the course of the Transport Month” Phala said.
She added, “The national theme for this year is: ‘30 years of Reliable Commuting Experience, SANTACO cares. We Remain the Engine behind the Nation.
“But the Transport Month avenues will be decided by taxi operators in their own provinces. This is despite our Hlokomela Road Safety campaign on a 365 days basis.”
Meanwhile, Limpopo Transport, Safety and Security MEC Violet Mathye has recently held talks with mayoral committees members from all the 22 local municipalities as well as five district municipality to lift an embargo on the issuing of new taxi operating licenses.
“There has been a tremendous amount of development of new malls and settlement areas. And the inability by municipalities to conclude their integrated transport plans ( ITPs) means that the new routes serving these areas cannot be allocated with operating licenses,” Mathye emphasized.
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