Taxi's Neglected for too long.

When an industry that transports 15 million commuters a day rattles society, the impact is bound to be profound. The violence we saw last week in Mamelodi involving the taxi industry should therefore be a source of major concern.

To refresh our memories, the taxi industry here in Gauteng is up in arms over the decision by government to bring in Autopax bus service to take over the routes that have been discontinued by Putco. There is a feeling by some taxi operators that the routes should have been given to them, including the government subsidies that go with them. Their violent protest saw Autopax busses not being allowed to operate while some were pelted with stones and damaged.

In what reminded us of the taxi industry's ugly face, a bus driver and three passengers were shot and had to be hospitalized. Although the motive behind this has not been formally established, one can surmise that the shooting was meant to intimidate both bus drivers and passengers. I have a lot of respect for the taxi industry's fortitude and resilience but I strongly condemn last week's incident. Bus drivers have a right to earn a living and commuters have a right to choose which mode of transport they prefer.

Taxi operators cannot hold society to ransom, whatever their grievances and however legitimate they are, and force government to hand over routes to them while forcing commuters to use their services. It is the quality of their service and not their pistols that should attract commuters to the transportation service they offer. I sympathize with the innocent commuters who, every time there are incidents of this nature within the taxi industry, run the risk of being caught in the crossfire. There are commuters who have been aimed and some who have actually lost their lives during taxi violence. Given the public nature of the service provided by taxis, one wonders whether it is not time we opened a conversation about mandatory sentences for taxi violence related crimes. There can never be any justification for anyone to resort to violence to raise their grievances, violence does not belong in our society and it must be condemned. This industry plays a very important role in our economy. It contributes to vehicle sales, fuel sales, and insurance, tyre and lubricant sales. I once saw a statistic that it pays R7 billion in wages annually. It is certainly a job creator and feeds a lot of people, directly and indirectly, with many informal traders selling their goods and wares adjacent to or within the vicinity of taxi ranks. Its strategic importance should therefore see the industry's leadership and government working together to avoid such situations as we saw last week in Mamelodi or to resolve them as speedily as possible when they occur. I am told that one of the major taxi associations in the country operates from within the premises of the national Department of Transport. That in itself should create a good foundation for dialogue between the industry and government. But it would seem to me that the fault does not always exclusively lie with the taxi industry. The resentment taxi operators have for other modes of transport has a lot to do with the neglect government has shown for the industry. That the taxi industry has been neglected by government is obvious. It defies the mind how an industry that transports the majority of commuters daily is expected to operate without a subsidy while busses and trains are subsidized. Why, for example, does the Gautrain receive an estimated R1 billion per annum in subsidies while taxis aren't subsidized? Are we not perpetuating the structural economic imbalances through such? Surely, the people who need the subsidy the most are the 15 million commuters, largely poor and working class, who use taxis than it is the relatively well-off who use the Gautrain.

The neglect of the taxi industry is further demonstrated by the alleged delays by government in processing taxi permits, particularly here in Gauteng. These delays aggravate the problem of illegal taxis on our roads. I hope the authorities are not waiting for chaos to break out before they attend to this particular matter.

I know it is urban legend to blame almost everything on the taxi industry - from driver behaviour on the road to increasing fares - but the finger pointing will not take us forward. The taxi industry has its own sins, and they aren't few, but their concerns on the issues of the subsidy and permits must be heard.

Putco says it pulled out of a number of routes because it has "subsidized the department of transport for five to six years (while running at a loss)". The taxi industry might not have been running at a loss but they have subsidized government and relieved it of its obligation to move 15 million commuters daily. For that, its role must be appreciated.