MyCiTi Khayelitsha buses a ‘recipe for conflict’

INLSA

File picture: Courtney Africa

Cape Town - Plans for the implementation of the MyCiTi bus service in Khayelitsha could develop into a “recipe for conflict”, a taxi owner has warned.

The city hopes to see the MyCiTi service rolled out to Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain by the end of the year.

The N2 Express will cost R338 million to implement over the next three years with funding from the national government. It will fund the construction of shelters, a station and bus purchases.

The number of buses on the route is still to be confirmed.

The Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta), the only taxi association in Khayelitsha, says despite the city’s plans, they had not had detailed meetings with them.

Codeta’s general secretary, Cecil Dibela, who is also a taxi owner, said they didn’t oppose the service in the area but said taxi bosses were concerned it would affect them.

The bus drivers strike continues, but a special service will run for this weeks concerts. Picture: Jason Boud

INLSA

“In the last phase only some taxi associations were engaged and not all of those affected by that route benefited from that process. That is why we are sceptical about it.

“If there has to be a change in public transport then taxi owners must be engaged,” Dibela said.

He said the taxi business was the main industry for black businessmen in the area.

“We don’t have any other entrepreneurship here. “We cannot allow MyCiTi or other companies to be the owners, to come on to our routes. “The city cannot come and take people’s business away. That is a recipe for conflict.

“We cannot allow them in. We must be engaged and we must own the buses,” Dibela said.

The N2 Express will travel directly to the CBD from Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain.

In Khayelitsha 230 taxis travel to the CBD daily. Dibela said they would definitely be affected as they could not compete with a subsidised service.

“Surely people will run to those buses because it will be cheaper, but then who do we load and what happens to us?” Dibela said.

In Phase 1A of the MyCiTi service, the city paid some taxi owners early-exit compensation to surrender their licences and leave the industry.

Taxi associations on the West Coast formed the companies Kidrogen and Transpeninsula which now operate the MyCiTi service.

At one stage, the city paid R41 million to 29 taxi operators who surrendered their licences.

Dibela said many taxi owners would not surrender their businesses which they planned to pass on to future generations.

He said they would engage with the city but would be reluctant to give up their businesses.

Mayco member for transport, roads and stormwater Brett Herron has previously said the N2 Express differed from Phase 1A as the service to Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain would be a “top-up” to other transport modes.

He said they were keen to “communicate” their plan. They planned to meet with Codeta in two weeks.

Herron said they planned to apply for operating licences by September. The public participation process would probably start in June.

The fares for the N2 Express were still being calculated, but Herron said they were working on a distance-based fare structure that only charged passengers for the number of kilometres travelled.

zara.nicholson@inl.co.za

Cape Times