The Dollar Van/Taxi Association recently elected a new executive body that will lead the association for the next 2 years. Now, while these vans are now actually two dalla vans, inflation isn't what they're complaining about tonight.
We met with their president and Vice president today to discuss some of the issues that they have identified among members and how they hope to correct this. Jomarie Lanza has this story.
At present the Dalla Van Association has 55 members doing daily runs from Lake I into the city. And their newly elected president who we spoke with today told us that he noticed that the members appear to be divided, and his current focus is to unify them as president.
Richard Swift, President, Dalla Van Association:
"Well currently our association is divided. Right now there are a lot of members that don't have any trust in our association so my main goal is to get everybody together as one so we can move our association forward. There are a lot of things happening in our association that our members are not with us and they come in and are driving their van all over the place and they are doing lot of mischief and that is my main goal I want to do to try and get everybody together who is a member and try to get this thing going because there is a lot we are doing for Lake I people and there is a lot more we can do for the Lake I people if was can just get along, all the members get along and we have one voice and we can do much more for back here in Lake I."
But it's a job that cannot be done alone, Swift's VP says that often they receive complaints about other drivers who are not even a part of their association.
Richard Swift, President, Dalla Van Association:
"Currently it has to do with the city council the city council is the one we will say is in charge you know so every time we go to the city council we ask for their help to come and man the post like because there are a lot of people driving with their door open, racing and stuff and we as an association we cant stop that and the only one who can stop that is city council so there is many a times we go and have a meeting with the city council, we go and ask them for help and they tell us don't worry we will help you and they send a traffic officer one day and then the next day no one comes out to help us so that is the main reason why we are not unified because of the city council."
Which is why Swift says they need the city council's assistance to ensure that drivers are following the rules of safety and conduct runs in a professional manner. But he laments the city council traffic officers are not as engaging as often as he feels they should be.
Paul Nwaobi, Vice President, Dalla Van Association:
"Sometimes you see some members just jump in from nowhere and just jump in and start doing Dalla van and sometimes some passengers call me sometimes because they know I am one of the old members, they call me sometimes and tell me oh I don't like how this one operates I don't like how this one talks to me, and the main thing sometimes when things go missing in vehicles they are not our member and there is no way we can say this is who, and we try to explain and say that is not our member but that is why we are trying to say if we can make them come together with us and we give them that opportunity so everything we are doing can be in accord."
Currently the fare is two dollars for adults and 1.50 for primary schoolers and children.
