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Woensdag 13 Junie 2012
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Taxi permit holders along the West Coast trunk route in general, and Maitland Taxi As sociation in particular, are left in the dark regarding their futures. Photo: André Bakkes
) Drivers uncertain over future
Taxis feel BRT pinch ANDRÉ BAKKES
There’s been a growing sense of unrest among taxi permit holders and operators in Cape Town. A few members of the Maitland Taxi Association vented some of their frustration last week when they spoke candidly to TygerBurger about their uncertain future. With the city’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system rapidly gaining momentum, virtually every operator is feeling the pinch in their pockets. Those who spoke to this newspaper insisted, however, that they are not against the MyCiTi project – as long as they get clear answers to
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what their future holds. One of the operators quantified their loss in revenue when he explained that before BRT, he had about six or seven loads of passengers a day, but this has recently dwindled to just two loads. Sixty-year-old Elliot Racaza, who’s been involved in the taxi business since 1977 explains: “I’m so worried about my children and family. I’ve never worked for other places, just taxis. Then, people coming from yesterday want to take my life? Who’s going to employ me now with my age? Now the government want’s to chase me out? We are so frustrated...” A shareholding company called
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Kidrogen was established as an umbrella company to deal with four taxi associations along the west coast: Maitland Taxi Association, Du Noon Taxi Association, Ysterplaat Association and Blouberg Taxi Association. Zeliograph, with Hoagi Valli at the helm is an interim company, which was formed to represent specifically Maitland. This is the body responsible to relay information to its members, but according to the operators, the information they get is sketchy, to say the least. Operator Ikraam Adams elaborates: “Mr Valli is being paid by Kidrogen R15 000, R20 000 a month, yet we, as the company he repre-
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sents, don’t know anything! We don’t know where we’re going! “And the city is turning a blind eye.” Valli on the other hand, says they have regular meetings twice a month. “Some members don’t even show up, but I have all the minutes of the meetings, and if a member of the association takes the correct protocol then they can view these minutes to find out exactly what we discussed,” he says. As for the city, Councillor Brett Herron, mayoral committee member for transport, roads and stormwater says there is a clear plan as to what the future hold for permit
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holders. Says Herron: “The city, through its engagements with the directly affected association representatives agreed to offer minibus-taxi operators fair compensation for their operating rights as well as an allowance for the surrendering of their taxis. “The operators who accept the city’s offer of compensation are invited to use at least some of their compensation to buy shares in the Vehicle Operator Companies formed by the directly affected taxi associations and scheduled bus operators who will operate the buses for the MyCiTi service.” . To page 2.
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