TAXI, BUS ASSOCIATIONS DISCUSS TRAFFIC'S DECISION
  Local Taxi and Bus Associations operating in Maseru claim that they were never approached and informed officially about the traffic department's decision to remove buses and taxis along Kingsway road starting from Thursday next week. In an interview with LENA, the Coordinator for the Local Bus and Taxi Associations in Maseru, Mr. Justice Mphoto, said the "Traffic department never called the taxi owners, and try to hear their views concerning this plan of removing the local taxis and buses from the Kingsway road".

He said they as taxi and bus owners do not accept this decision, which has been made by the traffic department, particularly, he said the move is going to cause unnecessary inconveniences and problems to their business.
He said, the associations held an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss how best they could deal with the matter. He maintained that one of thedecisions that was reached was to organise a special meeting with the
Traffic Commissioner and lodge their complaints towards this matter. Mr. Mphoto, indicated if negotiations fail to go their way, they are likely to go for a general strike.


The Traffic Commissioner, Mr. Stephen Molefe, however informed the media at the press conference held at the offices of the traffic department on Wednesday that the taxi owners, and their relevant associations were
officially informed of the decision reached by the department to remove the taxis and buses along Kingsway main road. It is the plan of the department of traffic that as from Thursday next week all the taxis and buses would no longer use Kingsway road, but other roadsoutside city.
25 July, 2002

  SOURCE: LENA