Brakes put on Blue dot taxi project

The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) may withdraw its service if the Blue Dot incentive programme is not reinstated by government.

The project started 18 months ago but will come to a halt at the end of the month.

Regional chairperson Mandla Hermanus said Santaco was told by MEC for Mobility Daylin Mitchell two days ago.

“We were informed that the project would come to an end, due to lack of funding. The programme was aimed to help the industry to form a professionalism and to render safe services to the commuters,” Hermanus explained. “We transport two million people across the province and this was supposed to improve the quality of the commute.

“There are 800 taxis which have been branded and were benefiting from the project.”

The province coughed up R70 million for six months for the programme which allowed users to rate their ride.

“We have had a positive feedback from 82 percent of the commuters rating that they felt safer in a Blue Dot taxi.

“The idea was that the project would be bigger and include all 15 000 taxis in the province and now there will be no incentive,” says Hermanus.

Mitchell agreed that the programme was a success but says provincial government cannot sustain it.

“We have shown that the Blue Dot pilot project works well. However, we need the support of national government to fund the continuation and expansion of this pilot programme. Funding this programme is the mandate of the national department.

“The Blue Dot Taxi pilot project will officially terminate on 30 November, 2022, and I will be engaging the national government to support us in rolling this programme out beyond the province’s pilot.

“The continuation of Blue Dot remains my top ministerial priority,” he added.

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