Lifting of Restrictions on Bellvile / Kraaifontein / Modderdam Road Taxi Route

The taxi industry continues to play a vital role in the economy of our Province and that of South Africa as a whole. This industry is key to enhancing greater mobility and ensuring access for the majority of South Africans. As part of our strategy aimed at ensuring significant improvements in public transport, we shall simultaneously provide support to and effectively regulate the taxi industry.

Our intervention in the taxi industry is informed by three important objectives. Firstly, it is aimed at formalising and democratising the taxi industry. Secondly, it is aimed at integrating the industry into the formal public transport environment. To this end, the strengthening of regulations governing the taxi industry is key to our success, especially the implementation of the taxi recapitalisation project. Thirdly, government will implement measures aimed at supporting the taxi industry to make it sustainable.

Among our initiatives is the taxi recapitalisation project to renew the taxi fleet with the view to ensuring safety of commuters, ensuring the taxi industry immediately gain access to public transport subsidies, as well as the development of empowerment models to ensure that taxi operators become viable and sustainable businesses.

In addressing the current taxi situation within the Province, we should not lose sight of the key strategic objectives being pursued by the Government. Our ultimate goal is to see the taxi industry being integrated into and regulated as part of a safe, reliable and efficient public transport system. Further, it is clear from the above that the ANC Government is beginning to undertake initiatives that, objectively, are strengthening the taxi industry. The taxi industry should be taking advantage of the many opportunities created by our Government. It is our view that taxi bodies should harness the energies of their members towards maximising the benefits for themselves.

The past two weeks had been very difficult for everybody. I wish to take this opportunity to thank all our people, especially the commuters, trade unions and the private sector for their understanding and patience during this period. Clearly, the commuters had given us the confidence to act boldly, and they appreciate the fact that our interventions are in their best interest. We will strengthen our relationship with the commuters so that their interests, safety and comfort are always at the top of the public transport agenda.

The past two weeks had brought to the fore the question of who is responsible for regulating public transport. The tendency for self-regulation, which is common in the taxi industry, is going to be a thing of the past. The taxi operators and their associations must understand that all routes, permits and/or operating licenses as well as ranking facilities, belong to the Government. The taxi operators are only afforded the opportunity and priviledge to render services to commuters, and should therefore not be involved in regulatory and enforcement exercise, which are the exclusive domain of the Government.

It must also be emphasised that law enforcement would always be upheld against all those who are contravening the laws of the Republic. Taxi operators without operating licenses will be taken off the routes. This is my firm position that is shared at all levels of the Government, including by our Minister of Transport, Jeff Radebe.

I am satisfied that this fundamental principle and message has been effectively conveyed to both the commuters and taxi operators. The response of the two associations to our interventions, clearly expressed during our cordial meetings, indicates that taxi operators now accept this fundamental principle. I am encouraged that Government has used this moment of "crisis" into a real opportunity to manage and effectively regulate a key component of our public transport system.

Today, I am glad to announce to the public, both commuters and operators, of my decision to uplift the restrictions placed on the declared area of Bellville/Kraaifontein/Modderdam road as defined in the Provincial Gazette Extraordinary - 6245 of Tuesday, 12 April 2005.

However, the lifting of the closure is not done unconditionally. It must reinforce the strategic goals and fundamental principle I spoke of earlier. In this context, the uplifting of the restrictions will be subject to the following:

1. Taxi operators without the necessary authority/licenses to be given until 30 May 2005 to apply for licences (interim) in order to regularise their operations.
2. Taxi operators without operating licenses but conveying commuters on routes listed below would be treated by our law enforcement agencies as acting in contravention of the law;

• Khayelitsha - Cape Gate Mall and return
• Bloekombos, Wallacedene, Scotsdene, Northpine -Cape Gate and return
• Bellville - Cape Gate and return
• Kraaifontein - to Cape Gate and return
• Any other unauthorised conveyance of passengers for commercial gain to and from any destination will be in contravention of the law;

In conclusion, I must reiterate that our starting point will always be our commuters. We will no longer enter into agreements that effectively deny commuters the right to choose which public transport mode to use. Most importantly, our objective is to ensure that the mobility of commuters is effected in a free, safe and an affordable manner, and that travel times and costs are significantly reduced. The role of the Department is to plan and facilitate the implementation of fast, better and reliable public transport services. In this regard, I wish to call on our commuters to organise themselves and add their voice to this important task. They must act in partnership with us to achieve the goals of a better public transport system.