Cape Town - Atlantis taxi bosses have vowed to disrupt new MyCiTi bus routes launched in the town on Saturday, claiming it will cut into their livelihood.
Some warned they if they lost their jobs and customers to MyCiti they would resort to crime to earn an income.
Marwaan Gasnola, a protesting taxi owner, told Weekend Argus they would “have to do something”.
“We need work here. If we have to do bad things, we will. We will carry on like this until we are sure our work will be left alone.”
Authorities have already taken over 100 taxis off the roads of Atlantis, about 40km outside of Cape Town, as part of the MyCiti expansion.
A further 16 taxis are set to be withdrawn this week, and after Friday only certain taxis transporting commuters to the town from Witsand will be able to operate there.
Brett Herron, the City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for transport, on Saturday defended the plans, saying taxi bosses have been compensated and even offered shares in the MyCiTi vehicle operating company.
Herron said to try to get to the bottom of their problems, he would get a team to meet those unhappy with the bus service, which started operating in Atlantis last April.
The expanded MyCiti service was launched on Saturday, including a direct route from Atlantis to the Civic Centre in Cape Town, a route connecting Atlantis to nearby Mamre, as well as new routes to Table View and Century City.
Some commuters said buses were cheaper for them, while others said taxis were less expensive.
Most Atlantis residents welcomed the expanded bus service, with more than 1 000 people signing up to get bus cards within a few hours on Saturday. Only about 50 people, including taxi owners and drivers, protested.
Initially protesters gathered in front of a library in the town, holding anti-MyCiTi posters and chanting, “Down with MyCiti.”
They then marched to the MyCiti station, and the group of protesters grew in numbers.
While they chanted and waved their posters, a number of commuters stood in a queue for the buses.
A large group of Metro police officers monitored the station.
Daniel Raubenheimer, who started operating two taxis in the area about 18 months ago and has four employees, shook his head and said the expanded MyCiti service meant he would lose commuters.
“They’ll choose those buses. Who is going to support us? Crime here is going to go up,” he said.
“First, the taxis take people closer to their homes. These buses don’t go near the homes so the people must walk far. The crime problem here is bad, these people will get targeted. And there’s no work for our people. It’s like we must now also turn to crime.”
Taxi operator Brandon Reynolds said he now stood to lose his only source of income.
“You can see people are unhappy. There’s a lot of pity for the drivers and the gaatjies (fare collectors),” he said.
A taxi driver, who declined to be named, said: “I will steal from people if I lose my work. Simple as that.”
While some residents said there had been no consultation and the service should be scrapped, others welcomed the expanded service.
Leonie Gordon, 49, of neighbouring Mamre, was in support of MyCiti.
“It helps so much. Before I’d have to wait for the taxi to get full before it moved,” she said. “I got groceries and they used to get squashed in the taxi. Now there’s space for me and the packets. I come to Atlantis three times a week so will use the buses from now on.”
Gordon paid R22 return taxi fare, and R14 for the same journey on a MyCiti bus.
Herron said on Saturday’s protest made no sense to him because the MyCiTi service had been improved by the expanded routes.
“The taxi owners agreed two years ago to exit the mini-bus taxi industry and to accept compensation for their vehicles, permits and business,” said Herron, who
believed the protesters had been misinformed about the service.
Weekend Argus