The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) has appealed to commuters to travel with minimal luggage during the busy festive season.
“This is to avoid overloading, which poses a significant threat to the safety of passengers,” said Santaco national spokesperson, Mmatshikhidi Rebecca Phala.
“Due to the risks associated with overloading, we may be forced to consider charging for excess luggage to ensure that our vehicles operate within safe capacity limits. We want to avoid this measure, but the safety of our passengers is our top priority.”
Phala said overloading not only compromises the safety of passengers but also causes discomfort and inconvenience.
“We urge commuters to cooperate with us by traveling light and avoiding overloading,” she emphasized.
“Santaco is committed to providing safe and reliable transportation services to our commuters. We will continue to work with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to ensure that our vehicles operate safely and responsibly.”
Santaco has also urged all commuters to prioritize their safety and the safety of others by reporting any instances of overloading, or other safety concerns to authorities.
“Let us work together to ensure a safe and enjoyable festive season for all. The Santaco national call centre is available on a 24-hour basis and may be accessed on 012 321 1043,” said Phala.
On Friday, IOL reported that as South Africa reached its peak festive season travel period, the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) urged international travellers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before your scheduled flight's time.
For domestic travellers, Acsa is urging travellers to ensure that they arrive at least two hours before their flight time.
“As a result of the incidents we have had we are proposing an alternative arrangement. This is akin to what we have used during Covid-19 times in order to be able to manage the big numbers that are coming through this festive season,” said Acsa chief executive Mpumi Mpofu at a media briefing.
“After consultation with BMA (Border Management Authority) and ourselves to make travel easier and more pleasurable for travellers in this coming peak starting from (Friday) this measure that we used in Covid would ask for travellers to extend the time they spend at the airport,” she said.
“We are therefore moving away from the traditional two hours before international travel and we are requesting passengers to arrive, in this instance for this peak season, three hours before. Just that additional hour is able to help us ease both the big numbers coming through and also ensure that we support the BMA in the implementation of their particular system.”
Mpofu said the recent long queues and delays at the airports, which caused frustration among travellers were a result of the border management system of the BMA which experienced some problems.
IOL