“City of Windhoek deals with public transport issues, not taxi fares” Amukugo

The City of Windhoek has distanced itself from the taxi fare regulation, following a three day strike by some taxi drivers in Windhoek this week. Speaking at a media briefing, the City of Windhoek Manager for Corporate Communications, Joshua Amukugo said that the City of Windhoek has a reponsibility to ensure that proper public transport infrastructure is set to cater for the city’s residents. Amukugo continued to say that although the concerns are that the infrastructure is inadequate and as a result road users, particulary taxi drivers are forced to violate traffic rules, law enforcement cannot allow such behaviour. He went on to say that, law enforcement will continue to enforce all enacted laws in the city for the benefit of all road users albeit pedestrians, private vehicle owners or taxi drivers.
“Due to the phenomenal rate at which the City is growing, we are constantly reviewing our operations in order to try and meet the growth demand”, says Amukugo “To that effect, 301 taxi stops were identified in and around the city.”
The City of Windhoek has already started with the project to erect taxi and bus stops around the city, with some stop signs already visible.
According to Amukugo, the setup of the infrastructure may differ, but in terms of fare payments, they serve the same purpose. This implies that the standard taxi fare paid between one public transport infrastructure to another, is also applicable to the taxi stops that have been erected around the city. Adding that the taxi fare is regulated by the Road Transportation board of Namibia under the Ministry of Works and Transport.
In conclusion, Amukugo acknowledged the need to increase the infrastructure in and around the City to meet growth demand of the City, warning that this should not be an excuse for road users to violate traffic rules in place. He further advised all drivers to adhere to the set traffic rules so as to stay out of harm’s way.