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Tough new regulations for three-wheelers and taxi cabs
View(s):Three-wheelers and taxi cabs in the Western Province will be required to clearly display a formula on fares for the notice of passengers under new regulations. The rules have also made it compulsory for three-wheelers and taxi cabs to fix a fare meter and to follow regulations issued from time to time regarding the fare meter.
The relevant gazette notification was issued on Wednesday but became effective from October 10. It comprises a set of 30 rules issued by the Western Province Road Passenger Transport Authority aimed at streamlining passenger transport services offered by this sector.
The regulations state that three-wheelers and taxi cabs permitted to transport passengers with a fare or benefit under a regular passenger service permit issued by the Authority or a permit issued by any other Authority must display a copy of this permit on the windscreen of the vehicle.
When applications are submitted to the Authority for registration of three-wheelers or taxi cabs, a quality control report for the vehicle will have to be obtained from the Authority. Only if the running condition of the vehicle is satisfactory will the quality control report be issued.
Three-wheeler or taxis owners who transport passengers within the Western Province are required to submit an application to the Authority. In it, the applicant should furnish information on passenger safety measures and measures on passenger comfort.
The passenger transport service permit is renewable every 12 months. The regulations also prohibit any passenger transport service holder from employing a driver who is not registered with the Authority to transport passengers in a permit-holding three-wheeler or taxi cab.
Such drivers are required to always possess the “driver’s identity card” issued by the Authority when the three-wheeler or taxi cab is used in passenger transport services and all the information included in the identity card shall be displayed clearly and visibly in the vehicle.
The noise generated by the loudspeakers fixed in the three-wheeler or the taxi cab shall not exceed the noise limit prescribed by the Authority. The new Gazette has reiterated that the number of passengers carried in a three wheeler or a taxi cab should not exceed the allowed number of passengers.
Significantly, it also makes it compulsory for owners of the three-wheelers and taxi cabs to contribute to a social security pension system recommended by the Western Province Transport Authority.
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