Statement in Gauteng Provincial Legislature on the Ad-hoc Committee’s Inquiry Report on Taxi Permits and Licensing
The Department of Roads and Transport welcomes the tabling of the Ad-hoc Committee’s Inquiry Report on Taxi Permits and Licensing. The Committee must be complimented for the time and effort that it had put into the inquiry. The hearings were intensive and wide-ranging in nature, and have helped to shed light on some of the underlying challenges confronting the minibus taxi industry.
The department recognises the need to transform, modernise and incorporate the minibus taxi sector into an integrated, reliable, safe, affordable, efficient and sustainable public transport system. It is fully cognisant of regulatory challenges in the industry that contributes to the unsafe and unreliable rendering of transport services to commuters in the Gauteng.
The department is committed to:
- Effectively regulating the operations of minibus taxis in the province with the aim of bringing stability and safety in the sector;
- eradicating harmful conflicts and violence in the minibus taxi sector so that all stakeholders can function in a climate of peace and security;
- combating fraud and corruption among public servants and minibus taxi operators as it relates to the processing of minibus taxi routes and operating licenses;
- improving road safety for all road users to ensure a drastic reduction in road fatalities and injuries, particularly within the minibus taxi sector;
- integrating the minibus taxi sector into the broader public transport system based on integrated transport networks at municipal level; and
- formalising and economically empowering the minibus taxi sector as part of developing the township economy and promoting the economic growth, modernisation and re-industrialisation of Gauteng.
The department commits itself to facilitating improved co-operation and co-ordination across the three spheres of government, and in partnership with the representative structures of the minibus taxi industry, to ensure a safe, integrated and regulated public transport system that efficiently and safely transports the commuters and residents of Gauteng.
The department supports Committee recommendations 5.1, 5.5, 5.7, 5.9, 5.10, 5.11, 5.12, 5.14, 5.15 and 5.16.
In fact, it already has acted on a number of the recommendations of the Committee. For instance, the vacancies in the Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE) have been filled and the Chairperson of PRE has been replaced.
Secondly, since the successful hosting of the Taxi Indaba and Summit earlier this year, a total of 5028 taxi operators were assisted with their taxi license applications through the Taxi Outreach Programme initiated by the department in all regions between July and September 2016.
Thirdly, the department has appointed the CSIR to map all taxi routes in the province. The exercise will produce a geo-coded, electronic database of all minibus taxi routes in Gauteng that will assist in resolving route disputes between taxi associations and operators, and support the designing of an integrated public transport network with a defined hierarchy that includes the minibus industry.
Fourthly, security vetting of key personnel involved in the processing of taxi route and license applications have already begun and two officials who are involved allegedly in processing applications irregularly have been suspended, charged and are currently facing disciplinary action.
Fifthly, it is in the process of filling a number of core vacant posts in the Directorate: Registration and Licensing. Lastly, the Directorate has interacted with its counterparts in KZN and the Western Cape to improve its business processes and institute efficiency measures in processing license applications.
The department will give serious consideration to the remaining recommendations as they straddle the policy and legislative domains and will engage further on the matter with the Portfolio Committee on Roads and Transport. It will report to the House as per the stipulated timeframes.
I wish to thank the Committee Members for a job well done. The Inquiry is a good example of an effective oversight process by the legislature cutting across departments and entities in the three spheres of government.
