WINDHOEK – The bus and taxi association Nabta will have road safety patrol officers at roadblocks across the national roads weeks ahead of the festive season to inspect passenger buses as well as to make sure that passengers are charged the prescribed passenger fees.
The move is expected to minimise road accidents during the festive season as well as to mitigate the practice of charging exorbitant passenger fees during the festive period, which is a common annual practice.
The association also wants to remove from the roads illegal taxis including those with fake transport permits.
“By the 20th of December all Nabta (Namibia Bus and Taxi Association) officials will be at each roadblock countrywide inspecting the buses transporting passengers, and those without the public passenger control sheet list will not be allowed to proceed,” said Vespa Muunda of Nabta.
All public transport owners will be required to have public passenger control sheet list, which is the price guide, and those found without the price list will not be allowed to transport passengers, Nabta said.
“We have engaged traffic and Nampol so that we can unearth these illegal taxis and the unlawful duplication of transportation permits,” Muunda said adding that Nabta has engaged the assistance of the police traffic unit.
The price list will be found at all bus terminals together with determined prices for both short and long distance transportation.
All taxi operators are called to adhere to the tariff guide, which is approved by the Ministry of Works and Transport. “It is mandatory for all buses to have the price list at all times,” said Muunda.
By Obrein Simasiku