Taxi men reject Durban transport plan

Bus and taxi operators have rejected an eThekwini Municipality plan to call for tenders for technical advisers to help implement the public transport network. This has led city to decide to use the controversial Section 36 of the Municipal Finance Management Act to bypass the tender process and appoint two advisory technical support teams who meet the approval of the minibus taxi industry and small bus operators, according to a report tabled at the council’s executive committee meeting yesterday. The head of eThekwini Transport Authority, Thami Manyathi, said in the report that plans were at an advanced stage for the implementation of the Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network.

He said work on phase one of the project, which consisted of three corridors, was well in hand for completion in 2016. To establish the network as required by law, Manyathi said it was essential to ensure that the minibus taxi industry and small bus operators were an integral part of the contracting system for the provision of public transport services. “The existing operators will be required to form operating entities with which the city, as a contracting authority, will negotiate contracts, as in the National Land Transport Act,” he said. Manyathi said 13 cities, eThekwini among them, were establishing rapid transport networks. Some of these cities, such as Joburg and Cape Town, were ahead of eThekwini and had tried to appoint technical support for taxi industry and small bus operators through tendering processes, with the objective that once appointed the technical advisers would be introduced to the operators.

“Unfortunately, in all the cities the operators objected to this process, citing the issue of trust between the industry and advisers as a key concern.” Manyathi said that, based on this, the operators preferred to be advised by technical advisers with whom they had developed a working relationship through previous initiatives and who had a good understanding of the industry. “This is one of the major issues that the operators have put (forward) as a non-negotiable that has caused deadlock in the progress of implementation even in other cities.” Manyathi said other cities had eventually appointed technical advisers through Section 36 of the Municipal Finance Management Act. “The issue of trust and previous working relationship between the taxi industry and small bus operators and their advisers is quite critical to enable the industry’s buy-in for the project,” Manyathi said.

The industry’s advisers had indicated that they were interested in providing technical support for the city’s transport project. City manager S’bu Sithole said eThekwini had to appoint advisers with whom the operators were comfortable as the project would require a lot of support. “They must have people they are comfortable with,” he said. “The bus and taxi operators are fundamental stakeholders in this (rapid transport network).” The city did not yet know the costs involved, but would probably pay the advisers what it paid consultants, Sithole said. “They must also prove that their services are worthy.”