The motorcycle taxi activity in the city of Ondjiva, province of Cunene, will be resized this year, in order to organize traffic and road safety, said yesterday the director of the Provincial Office of Transport, Traffic and Urban Mobility of Cunene, Geraldina Paredes.
According to the person responsible, the new stance is expected to be applied at the end of this month with the end of defining routes or zones for the operation of the motorcycle taxi service, following the launch on the market of some undisclosed means made available by the Ministry of Transport. .
“We want motorcycle taxi drivers to only circulate in peripheral areas. We have routes created for motorcycle taxis and buses will run on the main roads, so that the use of these means can gradually be reduced,” he said.
He added that the majority of road accidents in the region are directly involved by motor vehicle users, and, consequently, the number of deaths and injuries occurs more among these and their occupants.
He recognized that motorcycle taxis are a professional alternative for many unemployed young people, as well as facilitating the movement of people, due to the existing gap in public transport and the lack of taxis.
He recalled that Ondjiva currently does not have vehicles for urban taxis, which is why he appealed to the business class to invest in the sector, instead of limiting themselves to transport allocated by the Executive.
He said that the province needs private sector companies, with the capacity to create rent-a-car or urban and intercity transport fleet, in order to guarantee a better community and traffic flow in the region.
Geraldina Paredes highlighted the continuation of the awareness-raising and training campaign for motorcycle taxi drivers, in a partnership between the Department of Traffic and Road Safety, municipal administrations and AMOTRANG, so that they are mobilized to respect the rules of the Highway Code.
Data from the National Police Command indicate that, of the 364 road accidents recorded in 2023, 278 involved motorcycle taxi drivers, with 61 people injured and 454 others injured.
The measure that is supported by article 12 of Presidential Decree No. 123/22, which regulates the activity of individual and collective paid transport of passengers and goods in moped vehicles, motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles, is in the communication phase and awareness.
