Gauteng MEC for roads and transport Ismail Vadi has announced plans to introduce an electronic taxi fare payment system in the province with the first phase set to go live in February next year.
The system will involve passengers to pre-load money onto their FairPay cards at special terminals at kiosks and taxi ranks with a view to including retailers and stores later on.
The first route to have access to the new initiative will be the Johannesburg to Pretoria route because of the JPM Taxi Associations' involvement in a pilot project for the idea.
"The card-based project will be introduced on the Johannesburg, Pretoria and Mabopane (JPM) route. It was selected as the JPM Taxi Association has been involved in previous pilot projects and is experienced in dealing with the cashless system," the Gauteng Roads and Transport department announced.
"It will then be expanded to other taxi routes, with the aim of completing a national roll out within five years."
The e-ticket equipment to be installed in the minibus taxis will include a GPS device, which the department hopes will lead to improved driver behaviour and safer roads for all.
"The information gathered through the GPS device will go a long way toward improving driver behaviour and safety in the South African taxi industry, with records being kept of incidents such as speeding, harsh acceleration and braking, while skills levy contributions would further unlock millions in SETA and other funding for industry training," they concluded.
