/ 21 May 2007

Alliance accuses govt of wanting to do away with taxis

The government is doing everything in its power to get rid of the taxi industry to pave the way for other modes of transport, the National Taxi Alliance (NTA) said on Monday.

Reacting to plans for a R12-billion monorail between Johannesburg and Soweto, NTA secretary general Alpheus Mlalazi said: ”The government did not consult with the taxi industry about this new mode of transport that is going to directly affect the operations of the taxi industry and this alone confirms our suspicions that government wants to do away with taxis.”

Mlalazi said the taxi industry did not fear competition from projects like the monorail, which was totally divorced from socio-economic conditions in the townships.

”Our problem is that this [monorail project] appears to be a government-assisted hostile takeover.” — Sapa