By Lee-Yandra Paulsen

Taxi association leaders held a meeting on February 13, at the Portland Indoor Sports Centre in Mitchell’s Plain to discuss issues relating to the use of the B97 route by the Golden Arrow Bus Service.

The association SANTACO claimed they had contacted the City of Cape Town’s Mobility department to get an explanation for the Golden Arrow Buses continued use of the B97 route when the route was reopened to the taxi industry. According to SANTACO they have not received a satisfactory response from the department of Mobility.

“The responses ranged from GABS only operating from Wellington to Cape Town via Paarl; to GABS having had the B97 route 20 years ago, even though they had never operated,” says SANTACO. The taxi association said they will continue engaging with the department of transport.

The matter of scholar transport services being prevented from operating in some townships was reportedly a topic of discussion at the meeting. The SANTACO leadership has requested information from the impacted regions. A meeting has been set for Tuesday, February 14 and Wednesday, February 15 to quickly resolve the impasse and ensure that students can attend class.

Furthermore, the association conversed about the suspension of licenses for metered taxis being lifted. According to the association, members were never consulted on this matter. It was also stated that the lifting of the prohibition was meant to harm the traditional metered taxi and minibus cab businesses by flooding Cape Town with thousands of e-hailing companies. The sector is requesting that operating licenses be granted to members of recognized minibus taxi associations by the City of Cape Town.

Subsequently, another topic of discussion was traffic regulations aimed at the minibus taxi sector. It was decided by the members to have these bylaws reviewed by a judge. In this regard a law firm will be formally chosen by the end of next week.

The taxi industry plans on having a stay away in the coming weeks against the continued impoundment of vehicles in the province.  The date of the stay away is expected to be announced before the end of the week.

VOC News