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Government has no hand in Tata taxi
cabs
Accra, Nov. 19, Ghanadot/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, former 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.
GNA
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