Government has no hand in Tata taxi cabs

Accra, Nov. 19, GNA - Government has no hand in the acquisition of the 100 Tata Indigo taxi cabs parked at the State House, Mr Gideon Amenyedor, Chief Operations Officer, Vanguard Assurance Company Limited, said on Monday.

The vehicles, acquired through a leasing arrangement with ECOBANK and facilitated by Vanguard Assurance Company Limited, are to be distributed to taxi drivers on "work and pay" basis under the company's Taxi Project, Mr Amenyedor said.

He was reacting to rumours that government had acquired those vehicles to operate in the city to render the operations of the services of taxis unprofitable.

Mr Amenyedor, who said this at the third training of trainers' workshop for taxi unions and societies in the Greater Accra Region, said the acquisition of the vehicles was an initiative of the company as part of its social responsibility instituted in 2003. The project aims at complementing the efforts of agencies involved in road safety, promoting the development of tourism and uplifting the image of the taxi driving profession. Some of the components of the project include Vanguard Best Taxi Drivers Award, group taxi insurance scheme and annual training of trainers programme for taxi unions and drivers. He said the company was going to distribute the vehicles through the various transport unions stressing that the company would not deal with individuals.

Mr Amenyedor, reading the speech of Mr Mahama Emmanuel Baba, Chief Executive Officer of Vanguard Assurance Company Limited, said among the key service providers in the nation's hospitality industry were taxi drivers hence the need to prepare them to face the challenges of the Ghana CAN 2008 football tournament.

He said after the company's best taxi driver's awards selection process in 2004, the selection committee noted some deficiencies in the driving skills and customer care behaviour of taxi drivers hence the need to correct them.

The company, he said, would organise similar workshops in the Ashanti and Western Regions and urged drivers to see themselves as agents of change.

Mr Justice M Y Amegashie, a Director of Ports, Railways and Harbours, said transportation played an important role in the socio-economic development of every country and urged drivers to drive with care and attention and avoid careless driving. "Avoid following vehicles very closely, it does not constitute safe driving," Mr Amegashie, fo rmer chief executive of the National Road Safety Committee, said. The drivers are expected to be taken through basic knowledge in driving, the Road Traffic Act, customer care, security of drivers, passengers and vehicle maintenance.