WC SANTACO plans to introduce cashless payments

The news comes after a peace summit between industry stakeholders, government and law enforcement was held in Cape Town on Monday.

The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) plans to introduce a cashless payment system, among many other suggestions, to improve the minibus industry.

The news comes after a peace summit between industry stakeholders, government, and law enforcement was held in Cape Town on Monday, discussing ways to stop recurrent taxi violence.

Solutions, including universal branding, were tabled in the meeting to help simplify the process of reporting bad driving by the public.

The association also plans to establish peace ambassadors, who will be trained in conflict resolution and operate on the ground to prevent violent outbreaks.

Western Cape SANTACO Chairperson Mandla Hermanus said they’ve already started with steps to formalise taxi associations.

“There is a process of vetting that we’ve asked the government to assist us with. This will include tapping into the capabilities of SAPS [South African Police Service] and the justice system to identify if there are people in the taxi industry who are involved in criminal activities.”

Implementation dates have not yet been set as engagement continues among stakeholders.