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Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, the association’s chairman, Gibson Matenge said the industry is controlled by the government despite its lack of expertise in the taxi business. He said the industry at the moment has a lot of financial problems, which affects delivery of quality service. He explained that the association is ready to change the face of public transport in Botswana, but are currently facing financial constraints. Matenge said public transport fares have remained the same for the past 4 years, despite increasing inflation. He asserted that taxi owners couldn’t afford to service their vehicles, with the current prices, adding that the introduction of VAT, and the rise in fuel prices, amongst other things had worsened the situation. Matenge said the government is however not making enough effort to work cooperatively with the association towards improving the situation. He alleged that the government does not take the taxi business seriously.
‘The taxi industry has been around for decades, but we are still operating without rules and regulations,” he said
He said the association had decided to set up an office at the main rank as an initiative towards better serving their customers, but said it is hard to facilitate developments in the industry because public transporters are not making profit with the current fares. Matenge said the association is committed to providing quality public transport, which will not only benefit the poor, who cannot afford to buy cars, adding that the industry’s financial setback is the only obstacle.
Matenge said lack of proper management of the industry due to its being run by the government, is preventing the industry from benefiting from tourism. He said tourism as in other countries could contribute to the growth of their industry. He said for that to happen public transport needs to be reliable and dependable, which is not the case with public transport in Botswana. He said the association is currently fighting to gain full control of the industry, including the control of fares.
“The government does not control prices, why should they control public transport fares,” he said.
Botswana Confederation of Commerce Industry and Manpower (BOCCIM) officers, Lefeletse Ketlaleka, added that the legislation on public transportation has been overtaken by time, adding that the public transport industry should be given powers to control the industry. He concurred with the association saying the industry was currently operating at a loss, which explains why they cannot improve their services.
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