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- The taxi industry wants to embrace technology for it's advantage.
- The South African National Taxi Council has partnered with an e-hailing platform to offer rides in metered taxis.
- This is one of three apps SANTACO is a partner to.
- For more stories, visit the Tech and Trends homepage.
After years of feuding with e-hailing platforms, the taxi industry wants to follow in their footsteps and leverage technology to its advantage.
The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) has partnered with a South African e-hailing platform that allows metered taxis to be selected as a ride option.
Sibongiseni Shange, the SANTACO metered taxi deputy chairperson said that the taxi industry must move with the times.
In this vein, SANTACO has partnered with Teksi Ride to bring metered taxis and e-hailing operators together on a single platform, as ITWeb first reported.
“We are transforming the industry through a peaceful union with the metered taxi industry,” said Prince Pirikisi, one of the founders of the app.
News24 downloaded the e-hailing app and it was not possible to take a trip on the platform. The app said that there was “no ride available”.
Teksi Ride is one of at least three apps built by South Africans that SANTACO is partnering with. Shange was not prepared to disclose exactly what the other apps will do.
Local partnerships
Speaking to News24, Shange said SANTACO wants to partner with companies that the council can have discussions with.
“If we speak of local apps, it’s because we can sit down around the table and have our own input, based on our operation.
“If you talk of foreign apps, you can’t sit down with them. You can only sit with employees who are so-called managers.
“We have tried to work with them, we have tried to engage with them all to find that you can’t change their systems.”
He said that South African apps can be built for the South African transport industry.
Open to change
Shange said that the taxi industry cannot avoid technological change.
“We need to embrace technology because the market is moving in that direction,” he said.
These changes will not only affect metered taxis but minibusses and existing e-hailing drivers as well, said Shange. He said that technological
“Technology changes from time. It might be e-hailing today, but two years down the line it might be another technology.”
