Taxi violence might soon be snuffed out through technology, if a pilot project next month to monitor vehicles by satellite to eradicate pirate operators, succeeds.

Taxi violence might soon be snuffed out through technology, if a pilot project next month to monitor vehicles by satellite to eradicate pirate operators, succeeds.

The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) has announced that the Electronic Fare Collection and Management System (EMS) would be rolled out between Pretoria and Johannesburg, followed by a mass roll-out to all provinces next year.

"The EMS was developed by SurePaw Technologies in close cooperation with Santaco and according to the requirements specified by the Department of Transport.

"It will revolutionise the operation of the taxi industry and taxi travel, bringing numerous benefits to the commuters as well as to the taxi owners and drivers," Santaco said.

According to Santaco, the EMS would continuously monitor a vehicle's position along its licensed route.

"During the fare collection shift, deviations from the licensed route will be automatically reported. Fare collection outside the licensed route will be prevented. This will help to enforce licensing rules and thus address the main cause of taxi violence."

Transport authorities and taxi associations have attributed taxi violence to associations that encroach on routes they are not licensed to operate on. - Sapa