13 Mar 2017

Taxis operating in Maun will be branded to curb criminal activities and mushrooming of illegal taxis, transport officer in Maun, Mr Badibedi Abidile has said.

Mr Abidile who was speaking at a meeting organised by the Department of Road, Transport and Safety (DRTS) said operators often dropped customers at wrong destinations citing lack of tarred roads and this he said was against public transport regulations. “When one is offered the permit rules are laid out and one of them is that taxis are a door-to-door operations,” he said.

Mr Abidile said the department came up with the solution of giving each taxi a number, to be used as a brand and for easy identification. He noted that clients found it difficult to report taxis identifying them by number plates.

He said for drivers to be issued with numbers, they would have to bring a copy of the operating permit. “If we identify a taxi without an identification number, a penalty will be issued,” he said.

The exercise he said would take three months.

Maun deputy district commissioner, Ms Angelina Leano said there were no exceptions and everyone had to abide. “No one is above the law so let’s follow the rules,” she said.

Maun Police Inspector, Amos Kurusa appealed to taxi drivers to follow road laws and regulations.

“Having worked in different places, Maun is the highest when it comes to road law offences,” he said. ENDS