NATIONAL NEWS - The planned provincial stay-away action this coming Monday and Tuesday by the Western Cape minibus taxi industry, is “in response to the lack of prioritisation of the transformation of the public transport service”.

The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) in the Western Cape is demanding a review of the by-laws under which taxis are being impounded; funding for the expansion of the Blue Dot Taxi Pilot Programme; and the WC government’s commitment to support formalisation efforts by the taxi industry.  

Santaco has made it clear that its members will not be marching, but that it’s a shutdown with no taxis on the road. It has asked commuters to make alternative transport arrangements for the beginning of next week. 

The WC government recently decided to wind down the successful Blue Dot programme due to budget constraints and is planning to take a proposal to national government to roll Blue Dot out across the country.

In a statement Daylin Mitchell, WC minister of mobility, says while he understands and shares the Santaco leadership’s concerns, any shutdown of minibus taxi services will have a devastating effect on many aspects of the Western Cape and cannot be condoned.

“The minibus taxi industry plays a critical role in the economy of the Western Cape and in the lives of our citizens, transporting 2 million passengers daily and accounting for 75% of all public transport trips.“

Given the above and the serious economic challenges we face as a province and as nation, we cannot afford for the industry to cease operations, even for a day. 

This is particularly important at a time when Grade 12 learners are writing their exams, which simply should not be disrupted, and many other grades of learners are getting ready or have started writing their exams.

Mitchell says he is as disappointed as the industry that Blue Dot cannot continue beyond the pilot phase, given how beneficial it has been for passengers. “It is for this reason that I am taking my call for this programme to be rolled out nationally to the national minister of transport.”

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