Taxi chaos scares ship passengers

AN urgent meeting was called at Walvis Bay yesterday following alleged chaos that broke out at the harbour last Friday with the visit of an ultra-luxurious passenger liner.

According to the tourist information office at the harbour town and a subsequent report in a daily newspaper constant harassment by approximately 25 taxi drivers forced passengers of the Crystal Serenity back to the ship before they even left the harbour premises. The brand new ship called at Walvis Bay for the first time and stayed for the day, allowing its 370 passengers to go sightseeing.Some passengers had pre-booked a tour, while others preferred to rent a taxi and do their own thing.Apart from hassling the tourists, other accusations against the taxi drivers were that some of their vehicles were not even roadworthy.Robert “Jockey” Forbes, a taxi driver and member of the Walvis Bay Taxi Association yesterday told The Namibian these accusations were not true.He said taxis needed to be in possession of a fitness certificate, as well as a harbour permit before allowed onto the harbour premises.The Namibian Port Authority (NamPort) yesterday called a meeting with the Taxi Association and Walvis-i to try and find a solution to the problem.Jerome Mouton of NamPort said after the meeting they had agreed on a comprehensive system to be applied in future when passenger ships are visiting.Part of the system includes training for taxi drivers in handling clients and giving them professional service.”We want to ensure these problems do not occur again in the next 20 years,” said Mouton.He said the situation was not as chaotic as had been described and attributed the problem to over-zealous taxi drivers who wanted to make some money.Forbes, who attended the meeting, saw the problem as unhealthy competition between tour operators and taxi drivers since they both compete for the same clients.He welcomed the decision to provide training to the taxi drivers, saying it would be beneficial since they mainly did sightseeing trips with the passengers.He added that the taxi drivers should not be seen in a negative light only.”We also have our hassles with passengers who refuse to pay the amount agreed upon before the trip.”According to Mouton, NamPort would also beef up port security in future to stay in line with world shipping demand and in accordance with the new Safety of Life at Sea (Solas) Convention.Security had also been upgraded in the town area after several passengers of the Queen Elizabeth 2 were robbed in 2002.The Namibian Police are notified of the dates and times of every visit to ensure patrols on the tourist routes are conducted.Thousands of passengers visited Walvis Bay over the past two weeks with the visit of five cruise liners.Another one is expected on Friday.The brand new ship called at Walvis Bay for the first time and stayed for the day, allowing its 370 passengers to go sightseeing.Some passengers had pre-booked a tour, while others preferred to rent a taxi and do their own thing.Apart from hassling the tourists, other accusations against the taxi drivers were that some of their vehicles were not even roadworthy.Robert “Jockey” Forbes, a taxi driver and member of the Walvis Bay Taxi Association yesterday told The Namibian these accusations were not true.He said taxis needed to be in possession of a fitness certificate, as well as a harbour permit before allowed onto the harbour premises.The Namibian Port Authority (NamPort) yesterday called a meeting with the Taxi Association and Walvis-i to try and find a solution to the problem.Jerome Mouton of NamPort said after the meeting they had agreed on a comprehensive system to be applied in future when passenger ships are visiting.Part of the system includes training for taxi drivers in handling clients and giving them professional service.”We want to ensure these problems do not occur again in the next 20 years,” said Mouton.He said the situation was not as chaotic as had been described and attributed the problem to over-zealous taxi drivers who wanted to make some money.Forbes, who attended the meeting, saw the problem as unhealthy competition between tour operators and taxi drivers since they both compete for the same clients.He welcomed the decision to provide training to the taxi drivers, saying it would be beneficial since they mainly did sightseeing trips with the passengers.He added that the taxi drivers should not be seen in a negative light only.”We also have our hassles with passengers who refuse to pay the amount agreed upon before the trip.”According to Mouton, NamPort would also beef up port security in future to stay in line with world shipping demand and in accordance with the new Safety of Life at Sea (Solas) Convention.Security had also been upgraded in the town area after several passengers of the Queen Elizabeth 2 were robbed in 2002.The Namibian Police are notified of the dates and times of every visit to ensure patrols on the tourist routes are conducted.Thousands of passengers visited Walvis Bay over the past two weeks with the visit of five cruise liners.Another one is expected on Friday.