Taxi bosses have slammed the Cape’s “integrated” transport plans, saying they were leaving several operators out in the cold.
|||Cape Town - Cape Town taxi bosses have slammed the city’s “integrated” transport plans, saying they were leaving several operators out in the cold.
However, the city said it has had informal talks with the taxi industry, adding that it would not proceed with any plans without consulting with the sector.
The city on Tuesday hosted a workshop on the future of integrated transport in Cape Town. Transport planners, commuters and representatives from the bus, taxi and rail sector attended. It was billed as an opportunity to start discussions around how different forms of transport would be linked over the next few years.
Representatives of the taxi industry voiced their unhappiness with the way the plan was unfolding.
Basil Nagel, from the taxi industry in Retreat, said the city was “trying to destroy” the minibus industry. He said the taxi industry had a large share of the commuter market, but was often sidelined.
“For 37 years I’ve doing this without a [government] subsidy. When are you coming to the party for the mini-bus industry?” he said.
“The city doesn’t listen to the minibus taxi industry. We have made several attempts to do a presentation, but we’re not saying we have all the solutions.”
An official informed Nagel that the Taxi Summit would be taking place next month and this would be the platform to raise issues.
Nagel said he was aware of the summit as he had requested it.
Achmat Dyason, the chairperson of the Park-City taxi association, said the city was “communicating with the wrong people”.
Dyason said coming up with solutions was not as easy as “putting a few questions on a board”.
Theresa Thompson, DA councillor, said some of people at the workshop were the “wrong people” to be speaking to. Instead, she believed the conversation should be taking place outside with commuters.
The city is planning to survey 25 000 people on the plan.
ANC chief whip Xolani Sotashe, speaking outside the meeting, said he had been working to start talks between some taxi associations and the city: “We shouldn’t treat these stake-holders as ‘by the way’. They must be taken seriously.”
Brett Herron, mayoral committee member for transport, roads and stormwater said the city’s Integrated Rapid Transit team had been having informal talks with taxi operators. And a meeting with SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) was planned for next month.
He said the city would not proceed with any plans without consulting those involved.
bronwynne.jooste@inl.co.za
Cape Argus