As pressure mounts on President Zuma to find some sort of compromise between the government and the taxi industry, iafrica.com debates whether or not the BRT system is really the best solution. Hadlee Simons and Ebrahim Moolla go head-to-head…

Hadlee Simons reckons that a tantrum from the taxi industry is not a good enough reason to deprive South Africans of a world-class public transport system…

In a time when a reliable and modern infrastructure is needed to propel South Africa forward, the archaic taxi industry keeps us relegated to the third world. Why is the government allowing the industry to hold the country to ransom?

Many taxi drivers have decried the BRT system, claiming that it will lead to job losses and that the government is trying to encroach on "their" territory. Yet the taxi industry itself is far from perfect.

It doesn't help that the taxi industry is unregulated, free from scrutiny by external authorities. Nor does it help that frequent bouts of violence between rival taxi organisations and threats of violence against the BRT system, have created the impression that the industry is made up of a group of warlords instead of businessmen. The fact that the taxi industry does not, for the most part, pay taxes raises the question of whether the industry is contributing as much as it should to the growth of the country.

While the taxi industry will, no doubt, be affected by the implementation of the BRT system, this is incidental to the merits of the proposed system. The Bus Rapid Transport system is not going to replace the taxi industry, but rather complement it. The only areas where taxis will be replaced will be in the CBDs and a few key routes such as to airports.

While it is true that taxi owners stand a chance of seeing profits drop, it is completely ridiculous for passengers to have to put up with dangerous and poor transport when they can choose to use alternative means with advantages that far outweigh the disadvantages.

One of the many advantages to the new system is the fact that there will be high standards in place to ensure that buses are fully operational — a far cry from a jiffy can acting as a fuel tank in some taxis. Buses will actually arrive on time and it will be possible for passengers to purchase their tickets from machines at their stop or station — no need to wait for the 'gaatjtie' to dole out your change.

The integrated nature of the system means that taking a bus from one end of the city, getting on a train and taking another bus will be an almost seamless experience. Furthermore, the regulated BRT system also comes with monitoring and increased security measures. With horror stories involving anonymous taxi drivers preying on lonely, vulnerable passengers, your safety is guaranteed on CCTV-monitored buses.

Any unstructured industry will feel threatened by a structured alternative — but in order for the world to take South Africa seriously, changes will have to be made. The taxi bosses do not have a monopoly on the public transport industry. If they hope to attract higher profits they should — like everyone else who owns a business — improve the service that they offer.

It is up to the people to decide whether the whole transport industry will be held hostage and I for one will be saying 'no'.

Ebrahim Moolla reckons that if you ignore the concerns of the taxi industry, the BRT system is doomed to failure...

I recall coming across a television series that aired a while back that put ordinary people in the shoes of those they had little time for. In one particularly entertaining episode, a man whose contempt for taxis and their drivers was written all over his face, was put into the driver’s seat and spent a day plying a busy Soweto route. Several hours and scores of irate passengers later, the completely devastated driver had to concede defeat.

Taxi owners and drivers should be recognised as heroes of the struggle. Recognised for the service they rendered to the great majority of the country’s people. For the enterprise they displayed in building a great industry, almost entirely black-owned, from nothing and with all the odds stacked against them.

The taxi industry was unwanted and treated as a passing phenomenon, struggling for a recognition that was always denied, and decades later their status is no better. During peak hours they have to move most of those estimated 14 million people who use public transport to where they want to be, and manage to do it at an accident rate only slightly higher than the average passenger vehicle.

It is no surprise that the industry has its guard up: it is only just recovering from government’s failed taxi recapitalisation programme. Taxi operators wanted to be given a time frame for when the BRT programme will be implemented in construction, in bus stations, in ticketing and all those things that form part of the system. It is time they too enjoyed the fruits of democracy.

An estimated 200 000 minibus taxis are on the road, and 300 000 people work in the industry. I am no advocate of violence or stymied development, but it helps to bear in mind what lengths a man will go to, to protect his daily bread.

It is hoped that a fresh face at the negotiation table will inject new vigour into proceedings. New Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele has a prime opportunity to erase all trace of ‘Jeffism’ and introduce people-centred strategies to the sector. Lay to rest the politics of the rubber bullet in favour of a common humanity and understanding, Minister.

It is imperative that local taxi and bus operators effectively become the new joint-operators and active stakeholders of the BRT system. Then, and only then, will Johannesburg and Cape Town have efficient and undisrupted public transport systems that function seamlessly well after the World Cup is a distant memory. As well oiled as the machinations of our democratic system, some would say.

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