The Brandhouse/RTMC Number One Taxi Driver Campaign is to hold its Eastern Cape provincial ceremony. The number one taxi driver is a campaign that is targeted at the taxi industry and is aimed at taxi drivers who are committed to being the best drivers on the road and educates them with regards to road and commuter safety.
This initiative is currently in its second phase, that of theory and practical testing, throughout all the provinces. This phase entails all participating drivers being tested on their theory and practical knowledge, as well as being taken through advanced and defensive driving procedures.
In 2004 Bbrandhouse created and implemented the Brandhouse/RTMC Number One Taxi Driver Campaign and formulated it with its CSI policy of community enrichment and not drinking and driving, as it seeks to educate taxi drivers and other road users on road safety and highlights including:
- driver fatigue
- disregard for traffic rules
- drinking and driving
- high speed driving
- un-roadworthiness of vehicles.
This year the campaign has adopted the slogan ‘putting road safety first”, this as it encapsulates the essence of the campaign, which is the overriding driver of this initiative and it aims to deliver responsible role models to the taxi industry as they should embody:
- the true values of responsible driving
- great customer care driven from both the individual driver as well as the taxi owners.
The campaign is carried out with the endorsement of the Department of Transport who has in turn linked the programme to regional municipalities and taxi associations and this year it is once again endorsed and supported by the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) as well as the National Taxi Alliance (NTA).
Toyota South Africa is a partner of this campaign and they further enhance it by providing the Toyota Advanced Driving Academy that carries out the testing phases of this initiative. This academy utilises the P-drive system during this phase, which was introduced successfully to the campaign in 2008. The system is easy to use and as a result of its varied range of uses will revolutionise road safety training – at professional centres or any other locations – for learner, professional drivers, road safety training and all other road-users.
Date: 1 October 2010
Venue: Roydon Hotel
Time: 12h00
Source: Department of Transport, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
