Mar 28

Written by: SA Taxi News Editor
Sunday, March 28, 2010 

At the end of July 2009 SA Taxi Finance (“SA Taxi”) made a commitment of R20 million to ensure that those taxis which have been financed by SA Taxi and are converted panel vans, will be inspected, made structurally compliant and returned to the roads to safely continue servicing the needs of commuters.

SA Taxi is pleased to show that progress has been made on resolving the issue of legalising converted panel vans as TRP compliant vehicles and SA Taxi is particularly pleased with the announcement by the Deputy Minister of Transport which has cleared the way to finalise the process of completing the upgrades to the converted panel vans and ensure that the vehicles are made compliant and that the owner’s eNatis documents will be updated to reflect the vehicle’s compliant status.

Since September last year SA Taxi has already spent over R3 million undertaking an extensive process in conjunction with the Department of Transport (DoT), the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) and the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS), to actively verify if the converted panel vans comply with the TRP regulations and where they do not comply, developing a process in which these shortcomings can be rectified and thereafter retrospectively legalising all converted panel vans that have been financed by SA Taxi. This exercise established that of the almost 20 000 vehicles financed by SA Taxi Finance, 484 – less than 3% - are converted panel vans.

Other role players that have been consulted in the process include the following: South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO), National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) and, to a limited extent, the other financial institutions.

SA Taxi submitted two representative vehicles that were used for compliance testing, which was undertaken by the SABS at their facilities in Pretoria. The testing indicated that all of the converted panel vans that have been financed by SA Taxi complied with the Type II Brake Test, the Tilt Test and the Roll Over Protection System Test. The only concern experienced in the test programme was the seat and seatbelt anchorages, where the original seats and anchorage system failed to meet the strength requirements of the TRP. After extensive testing of seat and seatbelt anchorage combinations, a solution was found which significantly exceeded the minimum requirements of the TRP.

The total cost for the upgrade of each vehicle financed by SA Taxi amounts to R16 728 (excl. VAT) for the high roof variant and R16 199.09 (excl. VAT) for the low roof variant. A recall process and call centre capacity have also been developed to facilitate SA Taxi’s clients access to the workshops at which the changes will be carried out with a minimum of disruption to their business. This process will ensure that the only safety shortcoming associated with the seats and their anchorage would be properly rectified. SA Taxi has 6 months to complete the process but will aim to upgrade those converted panel van taxis it has financed before the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Commenting on the initiative, SA Taxi CEO, Martin Bezuidenhout, said: “As a leader in the financing of taxis across South Africa, we are taking a lead in lifting safety standards for the 15 million commuters who rely on taxis every day. This initiative ensures that all converted panel vans financed by SA Taxi will be inspected and rectified at our expense to ensure that these taxi entrepreneurs are able to continue running their businesses and contributing to the SA economy.”

Photographs are accessible at SA Taxi's Media Centre.

Author: Brunswick SA