The Blue Dot Taxi pilot project went live on Saturday, 15 May 2021.
The Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works has been working intensively to onboard minibus taxi operators, vehicles, and drivers participating in the innovative Blue Dot Taxi pilot project. The project is an incentive scheme to reward improved minibus taxi driving behaviour and service quality, while reducing the risk of illegal operations and violent conflict. Over 1,000 taxis from across the Province will participate in the pilot.
Before taxis can participate, the owners, their vehicles, and drivers must meet a wide range of criteria to achieve what is known as “green status”. Owners and drivers must have their documentation in order and complete a Blue Dot training programme, while taxis must have a valid roadworthy certificate and be fitted with a tracker and branding by the Department.
Members of the public will already have seen branded Blue Dot Taxis on the road as the Department and its partners in the minibus taxi industry have been working to get participants to green status. From Saturday 15 May, the system will be live, and green status operators will then be monitored by the Department and rewarded for good performance. The better the performance, the higher the reward.
At the same time, the Department and its partners in the minibus taxi industry will continue working to ensure that the remaining participants achieve green status over the coming weeks.
The Blue Dot Taxi project has the full support and participation of the minibus taxi industry in the Western Cape, including SANTACO’s Western Cape branch and all eight regional taxi councils in the Province. The project has only been possible because of the strong relationship developed between the Department and the industry over the course of the last year through the establishment of the Red Dot Taxi service and other COVID-19 related initiatives.
A key feature of Blue Dot is the passenger rating system, which empowers passengers and members of the public to hold Blue Dot Taxis to account for the service they provide and their driving behaviour. Passengers and members of the public can anonymously rate Blue Dot Taxis using their cellphones and this rating will help to determine the incentives that participants receive.
To rate a Blue Dot taxi dial *134*3047# for FREE or WhatsApp "Hi" to 073 249 2152 with the taxi's unique number, which can be found on the outside of the vehicle and on the posters inside the vehicle.
When you submit your rating ask yourself if the taxi is:
- Driving well
- Speeding
- Following the rules of the road
- Too full
So, let’s make our taxis safer and more reliable one rating at a time.
Blue Dot Taxi is part of the Western Cape Government’s economic recovery plan, which prioritises jobs, safety, and wellbeing.
Media Enquiries
Jandré Bakker
Head of Communication
Department of Transport and Public Works
Email: Jandre.Bakker@westerncape.gov.za