The Western Cape branch of the National Taxi Alliance (NTA) has, for the third time, refused to listen to a presentation of proposals for an Integrated Rapid Transport (IRT) system for Cape Town.
The NTA is a small component of the broader taxi industry. It has not divulged which taxi associations are affiliated to it, but it has opposed any change to the present transport system, ever since the City proposed the integration of various transport modes to improve public transport.
At a meeting in Bellville on Sunday, 8 March 2009, the NTA said it did not want to listen to the IRT presentation. Instead they demanded to hold discussions on the permit system for taxis. Taxi permits are not presently a mandate of the City, and the City’s role is limited to recommendations. They are a mandate of the Province. When this was pointed out to the NTA, they walked out of the meeting. They also threatened to use other options, a threat which the City is taking seriously.
The meeting was a follow-up to the meeting on 18 February 2009 where the NTA unanimously agreed to listen to the City’s proposals for IRT. This is part of the City’s commitment to allow the taxi industry to help shape the proposals and benefit from the proposed new system. At a meeting of 2 March, the NTA refused to hear the presentation and the same occurred yesterday.
Most other taxi associations are engaging with the City on the proposals for IRT.
Executive Mayor Helen Zille said in a statement, that threats of violence and disruption have no place in a constitutional democracy, and the City will not allow thuggery and lawlessness to hold Cape Town to ransom. She has already met with Premier Lynn Brown on Friday 6th March to discuss concerns of violence and intimidation in the industry. They will meet again with the Western Cape security chiefs at provincial and local level to prioritise a counter-strategy to prevent and curtail lawless elements.
The Mayor stated that the City is determined to do what is necessary to maintain law and order and to protect people’s right to safety, and fulfil its constitutional mandate of securing a proper public transport system for the citizens of Cape Town.