The City of Tshwane’s Rainbow Junction oublic transport facility in Wonderboom. Picture: Jacques Naude/ Independent Newspapers
Taxi drivers from Hammanskraal have been flouting the 2017 agreement signed between their associations and the City of Tshwane to drop off commuters at the Rainbow Junction Station in Wonderboom, where they are expected to board municipal buses to the CBD.
The associations, Hammanskraal Taxi Organisation‚ Stinkwater Eersterus Taxi Association and Ga-Mokone Hammanskraal Stinkwater Taxi Association were compensated for the 10km distance and agreed to forfeit by terminating their rides at Wonderboom.
The arrangement was made after the City introduced the A Re Yeng Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) between Rainbow Junction and the CBD.
Despite the compensations the taxi drivers have constantly refused to abide by the terms and conditions of the agreement. They, instead, continued to operate beyond the Wonderboom area.
Minibus taxi operators, who previously spoke to the Pretoria News, complained that the implementation of the agreement had resulted in their earnings being slashed.
For example, they said they were making a measly R150 per week instead of R1000.
They claimed the losses were due to the restrictions in operating on the inner-city roads, which meant they didn’t make enough money.
Transport MMC Katlego Mathebe recently expressed concern about the continuing behaviours of taxi operators who were not honouring their deal between the municipality.
Speaking in council, Mathebe described the situation between the City and taxi drivers in Hammanskraal as “undesirable”.
She said authorities would have revoked the licences of the taxis from Hammanskraal up until town as part of addressing the situation.
“What was supposed to happen was that we were supposed to have revoked the licences of the taxis from Hammanskraal up until town and that is the matter that we are still dealing with the (Gauteng) province,” she said.
Mathebe said for the fact that monies were paid already to the taxi industry it meant they needed to have honoured their end of the deal.
Her comments were elicited by remarks by ANC chief whip in council Aaron Maluleka that the City should consider striking deals with universities in Pretoria with a view to transport their students.
“What we need to do is to piggyback on the universities that we have. They are using money for their buses for students to move around. If you look at the intention of BRT is to look at the congested areas or areas with high density. We should enter into discussions with them (universities), instead of them hiring private buses (for their students). They can use our buses and move to different schools that are in the CBD or in the City where A Re Yeng buses move,” he said.
He also cited the problem the City was facing as a result of taxi drivers refusing to drop off commuters at Wonderboom.
“They are refusing to stop at the Wonderboom (and) they are entering the city but one thing that we can do is to avert violence and be innovative,” Maluleka said.
Pretoria News
rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za