N West to introduce BRT systems

Taxi associations in the North West have told an inquiry that the transport transformation systems, to be introduced in some parts of the province, will negatively impact on their business.

Stakeholders have converged for a two day sitting in Mahikeng.

The commission on Public Passenger Transport Market Inquiry aims to identify and deal with some of the challenges facing the public transport sector.

This commission intends to find ways to improve the transport sector.

Part of its work will be to scrutinise route allocations and price regulations and transformation in the sector.

The Rustenburg Local Municipality has already put plans in place to replace taxis with buses.

Rustenburg Local Municipality, Obed Moleele says: “We are not taking away the taxi industry in fact we are formalising them to reduce the issue of congestion, emissions by providing bigger vehicles in the form of buses.Taxis would eventually migrate into this bus company.”

This will hit the taxi industry hard.

National Taxi Alliance Pheko Mogale  says: “I will refer you to a number of negative impacts already that is happening in those areas. People are starting to kill on another because they are not used to not having funds, their businesses being flourishing due to the introduction of BRT.”

Lack of transformation of the taxi industry is a countrywide concern. Public Passenger Transport Commission Itumeleng Lesofe says: “They feel that they are not being involved adequately for instance, they raised concerns they are not given information, the performance of the system, they are not part of the revenue collection, so overall they have concerns.”

The Public hearings have already been held in Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape.