Taxi license revoked for those branching into luxury services |14 June 2023
Taxi drivers who apply to be part of the limousine services, can no longer be a regular taxi driver and will have their license revoked upon receiving the new license for limousine services.
This was announced yesterday morning at Care House by the department of Land Transport during the meeting to draft the Limousine Service policy.
The director for Policy and Strategy in the department of Land Transport, Betrand Loze, explained that anyone who has a valid taxi license can make their application for the luxury car services (Limousine) on a first come and first serve basis. There is a quota of only 20 available luxury car licenses. This received a lot of pushback from the meeting and was eventually sorted out by a promise of a review. However, Mr Loze explained that this is to prevent over-saturation of the market in Seychelles. Luxury car operators would have a maximum of two vehicles for luxury services.
Applicant’s details will have to meet the requirements set. This includes the applicant’s age which would have to be 24 years minimum and a minimum of five years driving experience. Applicants will have to provide a medical examination in support of their application. They must also inform the relevant authorities of any deterioration in their health. The imported vehicle must also be no older than three years. However, if a taxi driver already has a luxury vehicle that is older than three years, it will be decided internally if they qualify. In addition, they must also have a clean police record.
The actual vehicle must have been inspected and approved by the Vehicle Testing Station, kept in a clean condition and maintained in a sound and roadworthy condition. Furthermore, pickup trucks will not be considered a luxury vehicle.
There are certain minimum standards in place on what sort of transport the taxi driver can use as a luxury vehicle, and this will be further discussed with taxi operators at a later date.
Mr Loze said research has shown there is a certain market for these types of services, especially for clients from Saudi Arabia and Russia. “These are the clients that are always asking for these types of ‘haut de gamme’ services,” he noted.
The policy also makes provision for training for drivers who are stepping into the luxury services, where they will be tested on their general knowledge of Seychelles and their customer care.
Moreover, they will also need to be fluent in Seychelles’ three national languages – English, French and Creole – which they will be tested on.
There will be a conversation with the Ministry of Tourism after the meeting and Mr Loze stated that the main consultation was with the taxi drivers as they were the ones who proposed the service.
“It is in these consultations that you can see the weaknesses and areas that need to be worked on.”
Richard Burka, who is a member of the taxi association, has welcomed the new initiative. “I do not think this is a bad thing but there must be a way to do things. There needs to be good planning and implementation along with enforcement,” he stated, adding the latter was the most crucial part.
Yesterday’s panel also comprised senior legal officer, Kenny Elizabeth; senior policy analyst, Afzal Dias and Nathanielle Soomery from the Policy Unit.
Sunny Esparon