Oshana to phase out unmarked taxis

Oshana district commander Naftal Lungameni Sakaria said police would work to ensure all taxis operating in the area were clearly marked for easy reference.

He said there was an urgent need to ensure all taxis were clearly marked following incidents of taxis being used for criminal activities.

He made the remarks at the official opening of a three-day public passenger road transport seminar in Ongwediva yesterday.

According to Sakaria, they investigated several robberies and noticed that there was no taxi identification system in the northern part of the country.

“If you have a sedan and you wake up and you have no money, you take to the road to do business. People will walk. They will get in cars. It doesn’t matter what registration you have. From Oranjemond to Oshakati, you come to the north and you go,” he said.

He said once taxis were tagged, it would help curb crime and reduce illegal activities in the northern part of the country.

“Most taxis are illegal and operate at night. Our passengers are often robbed by fake taxis and since they are afraid of being discovered during the day, most taxis operate at night and therefore we are unable to catch them.”

Taxi Management

He said this prompted the police to work with the Ministry of Works and Transport to see how they could improve the conditions for the citizens. They concluded that their town needed to regulate taxis. Sakaria said once taxis are marked, the police will be able to more easily address the problems taxi drivers and owners face in their town.

The three-day workshop, which will end tomorrow, is aimed at creating awareness about the draft Public Passenger Road Transport Bill and its regulations and developing guidelines for the management of public passenger transport.

Sakaria said the workshop also aims to create awareness about the issuance of common carrier permits and develop an accident management system for public passenger road transport.

The event brought together municipalities and town councils from all 14 regions.

He commended the municipalities of Windhoek, Swakopmund, Keetmanshoop, Walvis Bay and Otjiwarongo for participating in the workshop so that they could share their implementation experiences.

Sakaria was disappointed that Ondangwa had only one representative and Ongwediwa had no representative.