Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) says it has, as of close of business on April 3,  supplied vehicle parts and made repairs to about 70 essential-services vehicles since the start of the nationwide lockdown on March 27. 

“We have dealerships in every province and we will continue to do our part in keeping essential-service vehicles moving – whether they’re in the form of mobile clinics or responsible for moving Covid-19 test samples,” says TSAM sales and marketing senior VP Leon Theron.

TSAM on March 27 halted its mainstream sales and service operations to conform with government’s orders that non-essential businesses must shut down. 

However, up to 167 Toyota and Hino dealers across the country are on standby to support the operation of essential services during the 21-day lockdown. 

These include food delivery services, medical support services, selected municipal services and emergency services. 

Taxi-industry suppliers responsible for transporting essential-services providers such as bank personnel, or supermarket and hospital staff are also eligible for support.

All calls for support services during lockdown are logged through the Toyota Customer Care line (0800 139 111). 

The customer care line is manned by agents operating from their homes. 

Once they have evaluated the support needed for an essential-services vehicle, a call is then send via a dedicated line to the nearest dealer to offer the required assistance. 

Dealer assistance is in the form of vehicle repairs and parts’ distribution, and is only offered to essential-services customers. 

In conjunction with the Automobile Association of South Africa, TSAM has also put plans in place to support logistics and the mobility of essential services should vehicles break down.  

“On behalf of the entire team at TSAM, we are grateful to the medical practitioners, supermarket staff, logistics operators, banking personnel, law-enforcement agents as well as taxi drivers and operators for their continued service while the country is on lockdown,” says Theron.