Nine minibus taxi associations, collectively representing almost 500 vehicles across Cape Town, South Africa, have introduced a Safe Minibus Taxi Charter, backed by 95 per cent of more than 1,100 passengers surveyed locally. The launch follows the completion of the latest phase of a project led by international development organisation Transaid, with the strong results expected to inform future scaling of the initiative.
Available in both English and Afrikaans, the development of the Safe Minibus Taxi Charter has been complemented by sensitisation training for 124 drivers, sliding door operators and rank coordinators. This focused on the topics of sexual and gender-based violence, aiming to improve the personal safety and security of women travelling in low-income communities.
From those trained, 33 participants were chosen to become ‘Champions’, with the responsibility to act as principal points of contact and deliver ongoing training for peers.
The project was delivered in partnership with the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) Women’s Desk, Cape Crisis, and Sonke Gender Justice, with funding from the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).
Dennis Simuyuni, Project Manager for Transaid, says: “This work shows how powerful change can be when the transport sector and community partners work together. The commitment shown by drivers, operators and taxi associations gives us real confidence that safer, more inclusive travel for women is within reach.”
Sharon Petrus, Chairperson of the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) Women’s Desk for the Northern Region, says: “This is a beautiful project for women. The Transaid project has given us a real chance to move forward and stand on our own in the taxi industry.
“I want to thank everyone who has made this project possible. We can already see the difference – women passengers and drivers feel safer because of this important work. We really want this project to continue and grow. There are still many challenges in the taxi industry, and we need to keep working together to tackle them.”
This project builds upon a three-year study completed by Transaid between 2019 and 2022, in collaboration with Durham University, which identified concerns around personal safety as a key challenge faced by women users of public transport in the Western Cape Province.
Established in 2008, the SANTACO Women’s Desk aims to empower women within the taxi industry by fostering economic opportunities and improving safety in the aim of greater gender equality.
Sonke Gender Justice is a women’s rights organisation operating across South Africa. It aims to address gender-based violence by engaging men and boys, policy advocacy, community education and mobilisation, and societal norms.
For more information and to find out how you can support the organisation visit www.transaid.org.
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Note to Editor:
About Transaid
Transaid transforms lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport. Founded by Save the Children, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and its Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, the international development organisation works with communities, partners, and governments to solve transport challenges throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Transaid works in two core areas, road safety and access to health, to solve two of the biggest transport challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. Transaid’s road safety work focuses on influencing safe driver behaviour with long term programmes in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, responding to local needs for improved training for drivers and riders of trucks, buses, motorcycles and forklift trucks. On the access to health side, Transaid is working with local partners and communities to strengthen access to health services, primarily in rural areas. They are also working to strengthen health supply chains in collaboration with local partners and governments.
Transaid enjoys strong backing from the transport and logistics industry and the active involvement of its patron, HRH The Princess Royal.
For further press information:
Maddy Matheson at Transaid: +44 (0)20 7387 8136 / maddy@transaid.org
Natalie Ganshert or James Keeler at Garnett Keeler PR: +44 (0)20 8647 4467, or by email to natalie.ganshert@garnettkeeler.com / james.keeler@garnettkeeler.com
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