Cape Town - The provincial Department of Mobility has recognised 40 taxi drivers from various regions across the province, whose driving and customer care skills were rated as excellent by passengers and other motorists.
The Blue Dot taxi initiative was founded a year ago by the provincial government, in partnership with the taxi industry and other role players, as an incentivised driver behaviour programme to improve public transport in the Western Cape.
Taxi drivers from different parts of the province – including the Boland region, Greater Cape Town region, those belonging to taxi associations Codeta and Cata – were celebrated at an awards ceremony in Century City on Thursday.
The drivers were rated through commuter feedback logged through a free USSD app, and driving behaviour in specific vehicles as measured by the electronic device installed in every Blue Dot vehicle.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Mobility MEC Daylin Mitchell said he was pleased to see the positive impact the project has had on the industry.
“When the Western Cape cabinet endorsed the pilot project in September 2020, we saw approximately 800 participating taxis distributed across the regions of the province. To us the taxi industry plays a critical role in our economy and in the lives of our citizens.
“We are seeing encouraging evidence of positive behaviour change. The average number of speeding events by participating taxis has declined by 50%. This shows that Blue Dot is working,” Mitchell said.
South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) provincial chairperson Mandla Hermanus said: “On behalf of Santaco Western Cape and Umanyano Transport Services, I want to acknowledge the excellent and safe driving behaviour of the drivers here today.
“We are proud to be associated with this project as it is improving the way the public sees and engages with us. I never would have imagined that we would be here today, this ceremony has created unique opportunities for our industry with the support of our government and MEC Mitchell.”
One of the recipients of the award, from the Codeta region, Chulekazi Maweyi said: “I am so happy, this is the first time I’m getting an award. It means a lot to see my efforts to be a good driver recognised and celebrated.”
Maweyi, a female driver from Khayelitsha, received a 5/5 user feedback, 4/5 driver score and 4.3/5 overall score driving on the Elsies River route.
