Gauteng’s Department of Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure in partnership with the Mogale City Local Municipality launched a new mobile app that will monitor and help prevent the spread of Covid-19 in taxis and at taxi ranks.

Mogale City Members of the Mayoral Committee, councillors Norman Sedumedi and Francinah Chohledi accompanied MEC Jacob Mamabolo to the Krugersdorp Taxi Rank.

The mobile application known as Cmore App will not be accessed by passengers but by taxi rank marshals and managers.

Mamabolo said the mobile application was part of the department’s steps to formalise the taxi industry.

The application will help the government to monitor the number of passengers accessing taxis, the number of taxis disinfected, taxi drivers sanitizing passengers’ hands, wearing of masks by all and the cleaning of ranks,” he said.

Mamabolo added that the taxi rank marshals and managers would be paid a monthly stipend of R3 500 and R5 000 respectively. However, he cautioned that marshals and managers who did not do their work were going to forfeit their salaries.

“They are not our employees and are also doing work at taxi ranks. We we must start here and see how it goes. The application gives us an opportunity to formalise ranks and to implement best practices,” Mamabolo said.

“We have noticed with regret that there is lack of Covid-19 compliance within the taxi industry and at the taxi ranks. The taxis and taxi ranks are mostly used by commuters and if there is non-compliance, it means we are going to see a spike in the Covid-19 cases,” he added.

Speaking on behalf of Mogale City Executive Mayor, councillor Sedumedi said, “We are grateful that the Gauteng Provincial Government came to our city to launch the mobile application. This shows that our government is serious about fighting Covid-19 as well as flattening the Covid-19 infection curve.

We hope that this initiative will go a long way for both the taxi industry and the commuters, who rely on taxis as their daily mode of transport. We are looking forward to seeing such initiatives being rolled out in our city moving forward,” Sedumedi said.

The Krugersdorp Taxi Rank was also disinfected with heavy-duty disinfectants.