City making public its appeal to National Government to keep the vital Dial-a-Ride service going
13 August 2025
The City of Cape Town is making public its plea to the National Department of Social Development whereby we requested financial support and collaboration to keep the Dial-a-Ride service operating and, ideally, to expand the service to more members who qualify. This request was sent to Minister Nokuzola Tolashe’s office on 5 March 2025, with a follow-up request on 7 May 2025 to confirm that the minister has received the letter for assistance. To this day, the Minister has not responded.
The City’s Urban Mobility Directorate is eager to continue the vitally important Dial-a-Ride service (DaR). Unfortunately, the DaR service’s current budget deficit amounts to nearly R1 million a month. As such, it is impossible to sustain the DaR service over the longer term without implementing changes.
‘I want to repeat the message that the City has made every reasonable effort to secure additional support and funding from the National Government to sustain the service at its current levels. Unfortunately, our repeated and continued requests for additional funding were unsuccessful. Thus, I’m requesting users and organisations representing them to please also approach the National Government. We can halt the curtailment if we get these much needed funds from National Government. I am also releasing my letter to the Minister of Social Development to the public today for their information and further support,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas.
Letter, sent to Minister Sisisi Tolashe on 5 March 2025:
2025-03-05
The Honourable Sisisi Tolashe
Minister of Social Development
Republic of South Africa
Appeal for Financial Assistance to Sustain and Expand the Dial-A-Ride Service in Cape Town
I am writing to you in my capacity as the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility to request your assistance with a matter that directly impacts our most vulnerable residents.
The City’s Dial-A-Ride service (DaR) provides door-to-door transport for people with disabilities, using vehicles fitted with ramps, lifts, and wheelchair tie-downs that ensure safe and fully accessible mobility.
Dial-A-Ride drivers are trained in sensitivity and specialist assistance in providing a dignified and comfortable commuting experience for customers who are unable to make use of standard public transport options.
It is thus not an overstatement to say that Dial-A-Ride is not just a transport service but a lifeline to employment, medical care, and societal integration.
The service currently has an average of 4,500 monthly passenger trips (or around 2,200 users each month) travelling over 130,000 kilometres each month. The cost recovery from our passenger base is very low at 3% given the vulnerability of this passenger/commuter base and the City’s interest in providing this vital service in Cape Town.
We have more than 460 users currently on our waiting list and who have indicated that they require access to the Dial-A-Ride service in order to travel to work, seek medical attention, collect money, access services, amenities and employment opportunities.
The demand for this service is substantial and there is a growing waiting list of individuals in urgent need.
Unfortunately, and despite our best efforts, we are facing critical funding shortfalls that constrain our ability to sustain the service at its current scale, let alone expand it to meet the growing need, although the contract is written to enable expansion very easily.
Urban Mobility thus finds itself in a predicament, in which there is commitment and will to continue delivering the service, the contract to enable the vision is in place, but the broader responsibility for safeguarding the interests of people with disabilities does not fall strictly within our public transport mandate, which carries implications for its financial sustainability.
The allocated budget for DaR has not kept pace with the increasing costs of providing the service.
In 2019, the DaR budget was R28,6 million (R18,6 million from City rates and R10 million from the Western Cape Government WCG). However, the 2025 budget has remained flat at R28,1 million (R18,1 million from City rates and R10 million from WCG).
As you can anticipate, the need for this service is vital and makes a substantial difference in the lives of vulnerable residents within Cape Town. There is a growing need to meet the need of the users, and also to ensure more residents to have access to the vital service.
Given that this involves both transport and social services components, I am hopeful that the Ministry will agree that it aligns with Social Development’s core mandate, and that this appeal for financial support will be meaningfully considered.
A collaborative approach is what will allow us to keep Dial-A-Ride running and, ideally, expand it to serve more members of this all-too-often isolated sector of society.
Finally, there is significant potential for this service to be elevated as a high-profile flagship initiative that could serve as a template for similar operations across the country, such as Johannesburg.
The City of Cape Town would, of course, offer full knowledge-sharing of our contracts and data to assist in the successful implementation of similar services elsewhere, providing an opportunity for Social Development to gain well-deserved public recognition for the often overlooked work that is done on the ground.
I would deeply appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to explore potential funding solutions and discuss how we might work together in our shared commitment to ensuring people with disabilities are not left behind without access to opportunities for employment, healthcare, and community participation.
I thank you for your attention thus far and look forward to hearing from you. I am happy to travel to meet with you and will prioritise the engagement in my schedule at a date and time most convenient for you.
Yours sincerely,
Cllr Roberto Quintas
Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
