Taxis go online
SMART: New taxi app for Mitchells Plain same like Uber SMART: New taxi app for Mitchells Plain same like Uber
Mitchells Plain taxi commuters could be first in line for an app that will allow them to see if a minibus taxi is available and even to request one.
This is the vision of the newly elected board for the South African National Taxi Association (Santaco) Mitchells Plain Region.
Arthur Williams, the chairperson of both the MPTA and Santaco Mitchells Plain, and Nazeem Abdurahman, Santaco deputy chairperson, and seven other members had round table discussions this month plotting the way forward.
Williams is also chairperson of Route 6 Taxi Association, one of the four minibus taxi associations in Mitchells Plain which is part of a City of Cape Town pilot project to test the viability of forming Transport Operating Companies (TOCs).
With 840 taxis operating on various routes, Williams says Santaco Mitchells Plain is hard at work securing the jobs of taxi drivers and making the industry sustainable.
Their plans include asking the City of Cape Town for land next to the Mitchells Plain Taxi Rank and a veldjie in Weltevreden Road which can be used for expansion, including building a depot and garage.
Williams, who has over 40 years of experience in the taxi industry, says they also want to keep up with technology, and plans are in the pipeline to create a cellphone application where users can hail a taxi nearest to them.
Abdurahmaan adds that the days of gaatjies screaming out routes to mense are numbered.
“Like Uber, passengers will be at liberty to check when the next taxi is available or to request one,” he says.
Williams says like MyCiTi, they also want to introduce a cashless pay system on taxis. He said although they have not set any deadlines for these plans, they hope it will come to fruition “within the next few years”.
“People look at us as ordinary taxi men, but we are skilled and we are not what is perceived out there in the public. We want the City to see our vision,” he says.
Abdurahmaan adds that they also envision working closer with Law Enforcement to prevent taxi violence: “Law Enforcement will need to play their role to watch out for illegal route invaders and those who do not have permits, because this is how taxi violence begins.”
Councillor Brett Herron, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport and Urban Development, says the TOC pilot project includes the assessment of depot facilities and the efficiency of minibus taxi operations.