Nou ry, gou rate
CONNECTED: Amien Carelse of the Greencab Taxi Association CONNECTED: Amien Carelse of the Greencab Taxi Association
Taxi bosses in Wynberg will soon launch their very own app aimed at keeping passengers safe and drivers on their toes.
The app, designed by a commuter, has been two years in the making and soon commuters will be able to log on and rate the service they receive.
Amien Carelse, of the Greencabs Taxi Association, which operates 120 minibus taxis between Wynberg, Cape Town and Century City, says they were excited and agreed to be part of the pilot project.
“The app is the idea of a passenger who has been using the taxi for about 15 years,” he says.
“She came to me to raise some concerns she had and spoke about the app and we thought this is kwaai, so we agreed.”
He says the idea is to have commuters download the app and when they get in the taxi, they can rate the driver using the code on the windscreen.
“Here people who have complaints can log it on the app and then the taxi owners can see what is happening on the road.
RATE: The code you can use in the app to report drivers
“So if you have a k@k dri-
ver like that one hell driver in that video, you can report him. He was not on our route, but we want to avoid a situation like that.”
In January, the “taxi driver from hell” whose violent rant went viral on social media was fired after just two days on the job.
It is believed the man, from Eastridge, Mitchells Plain, suffered a mental breakdown while transporting passengers.
A passenger said the driver driving Route 6 innie Plein started acting strangely.
In Woodstock, he rammed into someone on a motorcycle to “show us what a taxi driver can do”.
Carelse says commuters will also be able to compliment their driver and help him win a prize.
PRICE LIST: Rates to pay to travel in Amien’s taxi
“We are working to get sponsorships. So if you get in a taxi and you have a lekker drive and the driver is nice and lekker with you, then you rate him and if he gets the most compliments that month, he wins a prize like free wheel fittings.”
The app designer, who asked not to be named yet, says commuters will pay a small monthly fee for the app, and the money will be used to create a trust fund for drivers and gaatjies: “This trust fund will help provide a pension fund or medical aid for them.”
She said the app will also have an emergency button: “This will send a distress call to us and we will know they need help. This will also help in case a passenger feels unsafe or is in need of urgent medical attention.”