Taxi industry part of talks on public transport and e-mobility at Smarter Mobility Africa in October

JOHANNESBURG - Aug. 30, 2021 - PRLog -- outh Africa's taxi industry will be well-represented during discussions on Gauteng's plans for an integrated or single ticketing transport system that will take place during the third edition of Smarter Mobility Africa from 5–7 October 2021.

The hybrid event (combination of digital and in-person participants) brings together thought leaders from business and government who aim to consolidate efforts to transition to electric and smarter mobility and shines a light on solutions to stimulate the future of mobility, from walking and cycling, public transport, electric vehicles and mobility as a service.

Taxis emit 23% of carbon emissions in Gauteng
"It is important for the National Taxi Alliance to be part and parcel of any conversation that speaks to mobility and smart mobility, so that we too are always evolving and changing and becoming the mobility for future generations in order to ensure that the taxi industry is safe". This is according to Theo Malele, national spokesperson of the National Taxi Alliance, who will join the panel discussion on 6 October, along with the Gauteng MEC for Public and Roads Infrastructure, Mr Jacob Mamabolo.

Another panellist, Vuyi Majola, the former business manager of SANTACO Gauteng and the current CEO at Ubunye Capital, agrees: "The taxi industry accounts for a large percentage of public transport across Africa, and because of our socio-economic conditions, it is unlikely that this will change in the next 10 to 20 years. It is therefore imperative that taxi bodies engage in conversations that seek to re-imagine, re-shape and where possible, rebuild efficient public transport with the mobility community on as many platforms as possible".

She adds that the introduction of electric vehicles in the taxi industry should be a priority, "as in Gauteng alone 23% of passenger transport carbon emissions come from taxis".

E-vehicles as taxis
"We would welcome electric vehicles as long as these will be reliant on renewable energy as we want to protect the environment," says the NTA's Theo Malele. He believes the biggest challenge in adopting this technology in the taxi industry would be "to ensure that we are technology savvy, to get all taxi operators to understand the importance of technology and communicate with our passengers to help us improve our service".

South Africa EV Car Buyer Survey
During the event in October, in partnership with AutoTrader, the latest figures of the South Africa EV Car Buyer Survey will be released for insights into car buyers' perceptions of and preferences around electric vehicles.

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