Taxi incentive scheme slammed

THE controversial plan mooted by eThekwini Municipality to “pay” taxi operators to drive carefully is set to begin in three months time.

The council confirmed recently that the “public transport service improvement incentive programme” that was first proposed in June last year, would begin in October.

The planned incentives faced fierce opposition when first announced and opposition parties were equally scathing on the confirmation that it was going ahead.

IFP leader Mdu Nkosi said the plan would create problems, and there were many other priorities the city needed to focus on.

The DA’s Martin Meyer said it was a waste of taxpayers’ money and would be impossible to monitor.

eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) deputy head for public transport Mlungisi Wosiyana said the plan aimed to help taxi operators improve the running of their businesses and improve their business environment.

“For the city to function optimally, economically, we need improved reliability and efficiency of our public transport service.”

He said qualifying operators would continue on their allocated routes, and commuters would be given opportunities to rate their trip experience. Ratings would pertain to the overloading of vehicles, speeding or reckless driving, loud music, cleanliness of vehicles and the attitude of the drivers and their assistants.

“We have designed a programme that is able to track vehicles and obtain feedback from the various structures like rank marshals and associations and commuters,” he said.

The council agenda said 500 vehicles would be part of a pilot project, with the number increasing to 3 000 from April to June 2017/18, remaining at 3 000 for the next year and increasing to 5 000 vehicles in 2019-2020.

Qualifying operators would receive R1 000 or a voucher of R1 000 per month for each vehicle that is part of the programme.

Taxi associations would receive R5 000 per month to co-ordinate the programme for their operators.

Regional offices of the minibus taxi industry would receive R8 000 per month to co-ordinate taxi associations.

Drivers of the month and runners-up for each of the five regions stand to receive R5 000 and R2 500 respectively.

Nkosi said: “The idea might be good, but it will face some challenges. There are people protesting against poor service delivery, and yet as the city we continue to do things that do not improve people’s lives.”

Meyer said the idea would be virtually impossible to monitor.

“This will be publicly funded from the city’s coffers, which are already under strain. The DA agrees that more should be done to safeguard commuters, but this vague plan is not the way to do it,” he said.

Meyer said the money should rather be spent on capacitating the metro police department so they were able to enforce the law.