Oct
30
Written by:
Pete Simms
Friday, October 30, 2009
SA Taxi Finance (“SA Taxi”), South Africa’s foremost provider of finance to the taxi industry, is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of its taxi compliance test programme. In August SA Taxi pledged R20million to ensure that taxis converted from panel vans that it had financed were inspected, made structurally compliant and returned to the roads to continue servicing the needs of commuters.
With the objective of eliminating unsafe vehicles from the roads of South Africa, SA Taxi collaborated in a task force, led by the Department of Transport (DoT) and incorporating other role players including NRCS (National Regulator for Compulsory Specification), SABS, SANTACO and NAAMSA.
Says SA Taxi Finance CEO Martin Bezuidenhout: “SA Taxi is proud to have played this essential role in helping to make South Africa’s roads safer for all taxi drivers, their passengers and their fellow road users. The results of this extensive test programme proved that converted panel vans are inherently safe. The only area where the results were not fully conclusive was the integrity of seats and seat mountings. In the interests of increased safety, a decision was taken to upgrade these components. I am delighted to report that subsequent test results substantially exceeded the minimum Taxi Recapitalisation Programme (TRP) requirements.”
The challenge of the task force was to ensure that the converted panel van taxis conformed to all safety requirements of the TRP, thereby ensuring the safety of commuters whilst being conscious of the dependency of operators and their families on the continual functioning of their businesses without undue interference. The positive safety test results achieved in the programme were very encouraging and have sanctioned the DoT to grant a six-month moratorium on the removal of these vehicles from South Africa’s roads. During this time, converted panel vans will be allowed to continue to operate, although each vehicle must be upgraded and inspected for compliance at an approved rework facility. The inspection of each individual vehicle will render the vehicle fully compliant to the requirements of the TRP.
This project has demonstrated how the Department of Transport, along with industry and a leading financial organisation, have collaborated in resolving a complex situation to the benefit of SMME business owners and their commuters.
Notes to editor
The conversion of commercial vehicles to passenger vehicles is a permissible practice in most markets, including South Africa. There is a homologation process to be followed which then renders these vehicles legal. In order however to operate the vehicle as a TRP taxi, compliance with the additional TRP requirements is also necessary. This additional process was not followed by convertors resulting in a number of vehicles operating illegally as TRP taxis.
Inadequacies in the regulatory systems and processes resulted in these vehicles being issued with legitimate registration documents, TRP Operating Licences and being financed by the financial institutions. In the majority of instances, the operators of these vehicles have been unaware of the illegality of these vehicles and have been operating successful taxi businesses.