Applications for passenger transport permits resume

KOPANO OLESITSE
Correspondent | Thursday January 27, 2011 00:00

 

The applications were opened to the public on Monday but suspended due to problems with the system. 'We have introduced new electronic permits because the previous ones were being easily faked. At our Francistown office, we are not yet issuing permits because we are still in a pilot study to see the success of electronic permits in Gaborone. In Gaborone, more than a thousand people turned up for new applications. We still want to see if the system will accept and issue permits without difficulties before we start issuing them here in Francistown,' said Patrick Motlhanka, manager for the Department of Road Transport and Safety.

Motlhanka said that they would use the same system in Francistown if it turns out to be user friendly. He added, 'The permits for passenger transport have been closed since 2008 but the success of the new issuing system in Gaborone will give a go-ahead to other areas around the country. But this time, we will not issue permits for taxis.'

He explained that the main reason for the suspension of taxi permits is that the main bus and taxi rank in Francistown is overcrowded. 'We will be receiving and processing applications for bus operators in Francistown and the surrounding areas. The main problem with taxi operators is that they don't use satellite ranks around the city and this leads to overcrowding.'

'If satellite ranks such as Selepa and Ntshe taxi ranks could be used, this would reduce the overcrowding of taxis in the city because they will only come into town to drop people and go back to their ranks than working from one rank,' said Motlhanka. Meanwhile, Michael Jele (33) a taxi driver for the past five years, who normally uses the Selepa route said; 'It's a surprise to us because they (transport department) have not informed us to use satellite ranks. What we see are just parking places where people teach their spouses how to drive. The other thing is that there're no toilets there. How do you use a rank which does not have toilets?' asked Jele.

Master Goitsemang (34) also a taxi driver said: 'I agree that our rank is congested especially during month end.

But I don't think freezing taxi permits will do us any good. They must organise another area and separate the bus and taxi rank in order to ease congestion. The problem is that in this rank, you can see one person holding up to six permits, these are the people causing overcrowding at this rank.' Godfrey Ndlovu (37) is a Rank Marshall at the Francistown rank: 'If they do not issue permits, it will encourage crime because there will be more taxis operating without permits and this scenario confuses passengers because they end up not knowing which one is a taxi and which one is not.'