Taxi, omnibus operators want their spheres of operation to be clearly defined |13 April 2021

The press conference in full swing. Mr Elizabeth and Mr Kilindo are respectively 3rd and 4th from left (Photo: Thomas Meriton)

The Seychelles Taxi Operators Association and the Seychelles Association of Omnibus Operators have said that, apart from collaborating with each other, they will work together to engage with government to define their boundaries of operations so as to avoid the two sectors stepping on each other’s toes.

It was the chairman of the Seychelles Taxi Operators Association (STOA), Frank Kilindo, and the chairman of the Seychelles Association of Omnibus Operators (SAO), Mervin Elizabeth, who made the statements during a press conference held at the Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles (Ceps) conference room, yesterday afternoon.

The aim was to set out their differences in relation to legality of picking up of clients, especially at the Seychelles International Airport and the Praslin airport.

Mr Kilindo stated that taxi drivers are facing very difficult times at the airport (Mahé), especially in this time of the pandemic where unlicensed or unidentified vehicles are picking up clients, something they (taxi drivers) should be doing.

“We are not against operators picking up their legitimate clients but not clients that are supposed to be picked up by us taxi drivers. We believe that we should respect each other’s boundaries of doing business and it should be done according to the law. We have no problem with that,” he said, noting that client pick up operators must show proof of licence.

As for Mr Elizabeth, he said that the omnibus drivers had a business to run and as they pay their licenses and taxes, they have a right to work as per the Constitution of Seychelles.

“I agree that the business license conditions for the transportation sectors must be discussed and that each other’s boundaries are respected until license condition is revised to meet the demand of the clients and the reality of today,” Mr Elizabeth said.

He noted that members of his association are at the airport only to cater for groups of above ten clients and not to pick fewer than 10 clients reserved within the law for taxi drivers.

He said that his association is working with the taxi association to identify law breaking omnibus operators against whom action will be taken if they break the rule.

As per the regulation of the Seychelles Licensing Authority (SLA) the application of activities of omnibus include the following, namely – (a) staff transport; (b) contract services such as funerals, picnics, school trips and other similar services; (c) transport of members of the public as approved by the minister responsible for transport.

He said that the association is willing to venture into other business opportunities, such as serving secondary roads, among others, but need further discussion on such matters, among other pertinent issues, with the authority.

With regard to overcharging of clients, Mr Kilindo claimed it is those who are not supposed to be doing that business who are overcharging clients and the blame are then put on bona fide taxi drivers.

“Our trip from the airport to Beau Vallon has always been Euro 40 and not Euro 80 as has been claimed we were charging. We have maintained the same price for the last four years. But if a client feels that he or she has been overcharged, they should report the case to the SLA, as the regulatory body, or either to us at the association and we will help in getting their case forward so that the person responsible is dealt with,” he said.

Among two destination management companies (DMCs) that Seychelles NATION managed to get into contact with yesterday evening, a representative from Ocean Blue Travel Seychelles, who claimed the company spends a lot in marketing, said that the tour operator is functioning within the law and that all clients picked at the airport are its paid package clients while the other from Luxury Travel Seychelles declined to comment.

A representative from Labriz Silhouette also said that they are picking up no other than their own booking clients.

According to Mr Elizabeth, as of 2020, there are about 202 operators (most of whom are not active) handling 350 buses, including H1 vehicles, on Mahé and Praslin. He said that the most affected in this time of the pandemic are those operating on Praslin, including those operating smaller 12 to 25-seater vehicles. Mr Kilindo claimed there are about 420 active taxi operators operating in Seychelles, from a registered figure of 500.

They both said that with the re-opening of our borders further, things will slowly pick up for both members.

Also present at the press conference were other executive members from both associations.

Patrick Joubert