Taxifone has launched its Shesha mobile telephone system, which functions as a cashless payphone in minibus taxis.
Shesha, powered by Vodacom, uses recharge vouchers worth R10, R20 and R50 that commuters can insert into the unit to make a call while travelling or standing in a queue.
The system designed for a minibus taxi includes two handsets and a Shesha call box unit with a display monitor, and costs about R2 600 to install.
Forty minibus taxis have been fitted with the Shesha unit so far. "The target is to deploy 12 000 Shesha phone units over the next three years," says Taxifone chairman Enver Asmal.
He says an estimated 12 million South Africans commute by taxi daily. "On average, these commuters have little or no personal access to the telecoms environment."
The R2.50 per minute local call rate is slightly higher than a standard Telkom public phone or cellular public phone. Taxi owners and vendors receive a percentage of the call profits, while vendors earn income from the sale of prepaid Shesha starter packs and prepaid airtime vouchers.
Andrew Turpin, Prism director for paypoint solutions, says the card is extremely secure with a mutual authentication facility, a tamper-proofing device and a PUK number in case the card is lost or stolen.
"The Shesha phone uses the GPRS coverage to load or register the card and the GSM cellular system to make a call. To prevent syndicated fraud on vouchers, the public key infrastructure is used to securely encrypt the voucher," says Turpin.
The company`s shareholders and the Industrial Development Corporation took two years to fund, research and develop the product.
Taxifone embarked on the Shesha project after independent research, conducted by React Surveys, revealed that about 41% of commuters who own cellphones are wary of using them while travelling by taxi. Some 63% nominated a prepaid charge card system over paying cash and 27% of respondents did not own cellphones.
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