The launch of the SANTACO Training Academy on 24 October 2011 marks another milestone but in the main, emphasises our commitment as the taxi industry to improve service delivery and provide a diverse transportation service to the general South African populace.  When we announced our 2020 vision plan to change the taxi industry for the better, we observed behavioural change, as an impediment to our cause, which judging the historic of our industry, required a coordinated approach in addressing it. We further take note of the training programmes and initiatives that were offered in the taxi industry in the past but these have not been able to speak to the stem of our training needs and problems.  The SANTACO Training Academy therefore and within the objectives of our TR3 2020 strategy will offer programmes that are outcomes-based with strict monitoring systems to measure their effect and change in the lives of the end-users.

SANTACO through its road safety flagship programme called the Hlokomela campaign, has committed itself to a partnership with the Transport Ministry on the Decade of Action for Road Safety. In the recent past, road carnage has unprecedentedly increased and the fact that 84% of these road accident causes are of human error.  The taxi industry in particular shares 3% of the total accidents on our roads, yet this small percentage translates into many headcount losses of lives during fatal crashes mainly because one taxi carries at average 13 passengers. This raises the death toll number drastically and projects the taxi industry in the negative, as a non-caring provider of service interested only in chasing after profits.  Driving a public transport is far different from driving one’s own car mainly because the degree of responsibilities and conduct vary in extremes.  For this reason and as part of the Training Academy’s role, SANTACO is engaging Transport Minister to redefine the present Professional Drivers Permit (PrDP) conditions to, over and above the eye tests and police avidaffit, to add training certificate as a prerequisite.  While this will be easily achievable with new acquisitions, we are yet to set timelines by which all existing drivers should have undergone training.

In achieving this will move the appointment of drivers from individual operators to shoulder this responsibility on our Local Associations.    Taxi drivers new and existing will be registered on our central management system that would assist us in determining the number of drivers within differing jurisdictions, training needs and registration of same with among others UIF.  Taxi operators will then source drivers from a central point where all the necessary employment processes would be managed.  Furthermore, this enable us to provide a graded pool of drivers whose employment will vary from one driver to the other depending on skills acquired, professional experience, to mention a few.  This will serve to even create opportunities for drivers into other areas of our business as we diversify our business.

We have converged here to mark another milestone that pieces together all facets of the taxi industry 2020 vision that seeks to transform the taxi business in South Africa for the better.  Since 03 November 2010 when we launched our 2020 vision dubbed the TR3 2020 strategy, we have repeatedly stated that in order for us to achieve the drastic change we so envisage in the taxi industry, we require an outcomes-driven training facility that speaks to the training needs of the taxi industry. We wanted a training platform that will create a better taxi service to the commuter and a better-structured business to the operator.  But our impediment has been BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE which through the SANTACO Training Academy that will be launched here today, provides us as the taxi industry, a solution that takes a step further, not only on solving these challenges but HOW we can resolve these through effective management systems and processes required in any business.

This is why during the period 15 November – 15 December 2011, there will be a pilot training programme on customer care offered to 100 candidates.  This programme will enable the Training Academy to refine the practicalities of our training programmes and further prepare for the official commencement of the programmes in January 2012. These candidates will play a supporting role during the coming festive season Hlokomela campaign where the SANTACO leadership national and in the provinces will in partnership with law enforcement to conduct roadblocks, interaction with commuters and visit to taxi ranks.  Our commitment, more than just our support to the Minister’s ‘Call-to-Action’ (of the Decade of Action for Road Safety) to half road accidents by the year 2020, we have set ourselves a target of 2015 at which we hope to have reduced taxi related accidents.  We have already begun the recruitment of 1000 women drivers who will be trained as women taxi drivers.  These women will form the first training programme of the Academy that we intend to start in January.  They will be taken through an intensive training programme that includes Customer Care, Communication and other related needs in achieving a better service to our commuters.  They will in addition, also serve as substituting drivers in the process of which the existing drivers will be taken through training programmes.  In light of the uniqueness of our business, we will also offer training programmes at taxi ranks through our mobile training unit that will bring such training closer to the people.   The structure of our training programmes includes the following;

A. Customer Care

• Life Orientation, HIV & AIDS, First Aid

• Changing the mindset of industry personnel especially drivers

• Etiquette and treatment of passengers as clients

• Communication skills

. Road Safety

. Tourism

B. Business and Operational skills

• Financial Management

• Business Management

• Communication and IT

• Business ethics and Marketing

• New venture creation skills – “entrepreneurship”

• Corporate governance & legal compliance

• Legislative compliance & Policy

•Communication

C. Operator & Driver’s skills

• Vehicle Maintenance

• Defensive Driving

• Basic Mechanic

• Public transport legislation

• Vehicle inspection

• Fleet management

This structure alone, estimates costs to at least R1 Billion and it is against this that we call on the business community, government and relevant institutions to embrace this move and contribute towards change in the betterment of our socio-economy.  We must all remember that; Education is manifested through behavioural change.