The proposed bus rapid transport (BRT) system in Gauteng should be put on hold until the minibus taxi industry’s involvement is outlined, the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) said on Monday.
A letter will be sent to the transport minister on Tuesday calling for a summit of all interested parties to be convened, Santaco general secretary Philip Taaibosch told journalists in Pretoria,
“If this is not done, we are not going to fold our arms … they must not take the taxi industry very lightly. We know our constitutional rights and we know what we are talking about when we are talking about our business.”
He said the taxi industry is not opposed to the Gauteng transformation strategy. However, the taxi industry needs to be involved as it is an integral part of the transport system.
The manner in which municipalities are handling the BRT, a new bus system for Johannesburg and Pretoria, is brewing conflict and distrust, Taaibosch said.
This will not only delay actual implementation, but also incur costs that can be avoided.
He said the taxi industry moves the largest percentage of the commuting public and yet the industry is not involved in the BRT system.
“By this attitude the government is simply disempowering the taxi industry.”
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