25 Aug 2014

The deputy divisional traffic officer (north), Senior Superintendent Pelontle Kesupile says the police in partnership with the Department of Road Transport Safety (DRTS) have apprehended and impounded 28 pirating taxis in Francistown.

In an interview recently, Senior Supt Kesupile said there had been a concern in Francistown of a high number of vehicles that operated as taxis but did not have permits hence the joint operation dubbed Sweep Street.

He said some of the vehicles had blue registration numbers while some did not and the aim was to establish where the offenders bought the number plates.  Snr Supt Kesupile said the requirement was that a garage should demand a permit before a blue number could be sold and it seemed some garages did not follow that procedure.

He said the police and the DRTS planned to bring all garage owners in Francistown under one roof to discuss the issue of selling blue numbers to unlicensed vehicle owners. Snr Supt Kesupile noted that other operations would follow to ensure that the perpetrators did not revert to their tendencies after being charged.

The perpetrators were charged fines ranging from P2 000. He said during the operation some taxi owners were also charged for operating with expired licenses while some drivers were apprehended for driving without licenses.

He said the issue of pirating taxis was of great concern as passengers used them thinking that they were public transport and in the event of an accident there was likely to be unresolved issues of insurance coverage. He appealed to the public to report all pirating taxis. Ends