from South Africa
WORLDWIDE TAXI FOCUS from India
TAXI ASSOC ENTERS RIDE-HAILING AFTER YEARS OF RESISTANCE
The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO), the country’s largest public transport association, is entering the ride-hailing market it once fiercely opposed. SANTACO-registered metered taxi drivers can now offer e-hailing services through platforms such as Shuma Yo!Taxi, and Teksi Ride. SANTACO aims to take on dominant international players like Uber and Bolt in South Africa. After years of conflict with such platforms, SANTACO has formed partnerships with local South African services following extensive due diligence. Each local partner has geographical strengths, ensuring SANTACO members nationwide can find rides. For example, Shuma dominates in Durban while Yo!Taxi thrives in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Sibongeseni Shange, SANTACO’s deputy chairperson, said technology is integral to modern public transport, hence the association’s move into ride-hailing. SANTACO also cites safety and accountability advantages over current dominant platforms. Teksi Ride was founded in 2020 and allows SANTACO- registered drivers to sign up and find passengers. It charges R8.50 per kilometre (37p) with a 20% commis- sion. Teksi vets drivers and passengers for safety and offers panic buttons and a 24-hour call center. Shange claims many drivers on other platforms have already signed up for SANTACO’s services. Member perks like insurance and healthcare are also incentives over incumbent platforms. SANTACO ride-hailing aims to shift the landscape from years of conflict. Despite initially being lauded for afford- ability and convenience, e-hailing firms have faced backlash for operating illegally and undercutting trad- itional cabs. Drivers also protest high commissions. SANTACO,
too, has been accused of mafia-like
bullying of competitors. Its transition into direct rivalry with platforms it once wanted banned is an interesting next chapter in South Africa’s ride-hailing market evolution. By leveraging its scale and clout to enter ride-hailing, SANTACO seeks to reinvent the sector to benefit its drivers through competitive local offerings. It’s controversial history adds intrigue as it tries to disrupt the status quo it long fought against
PHTM NOVEMBER 2023
PAIR ROBBED CABBIE, DRAGGING HIM TO DEATH UNDER HIS VEHICLE
A 43-year-old taxi driver was killed after being dragged by his own vehicle while resisting a carjacking attempt in south-west Delhi’s Mahipalpur area, police said. A purported video of the incident, which went viral on social media, shows the victim being pulled under the rear wheels of the car in an attempt to save his means of livelihood. He was dragged for around a kilometre, before the body was dropped on the side of a road. Police Commissioner, Sagar Preet Hooda, said Mehraj Salmani, 33, and Asif, 24, were arrested the next day. “On interrogation, the accused said they had boarded the taxi and threatened and pushed the taxi driver out of the car with the intention of robbing the vehicle and selling the parts” Mr Hooda said. The accused have a history of carjacking. The victim, Bejinder Shah, was the breadwinner of his family of seven, including five children.
from Singapore
CABBIE DRIVES WITH DOG ON HIS LAP: COMFORTDELGRO INVESTIGATING
Cute pooch, but can he drive? That was the question one on- looker posed when he spotted a ComfortDelGro taxi driver driving on the Benjamin Sheares Bridge in Singapore with a dog on his lap on Tuesday morning, 3 October. “ComfortDelGro cabbie employs canine to drive?” was posed to Stomp, a local citizen journalist platform. “I saw this pooch behind the steering wheel of a taxi.” In response, a ComfortDelGro spokesperson said: “According to the Highway Code, drivers must not be distracted while
driving.Pets are also not allowed to distract the drivers. We will investigate the matter.”
77
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
