SANTACO calls off planned 'stay away'

Taxi association, SANTACO has confirmed that Wednesday’s planned stay away has been called off.

In a statement, SANTACO’s provincial General Secretary, Elryno Saaiers, said that the stay away has been called off due to, what he says, progress made in the meeting between Western Cape Government and City of Cape Town top officials.

SUPPLIED: WCGov & CoCT officials meeting with members of SANTACO 

‘’We hereby notify all operators, drivers and commuters that taxi operations will continue as usual. We thank you for your support and cooperation in striving towards a transformed transportation system.’’

SANTACO initially planned not to operate tomorrow, as they were unhappy over increased fines and impoundment of minibus taxi’s, as well as golden Arrow Bus Services allegedly operating on the B97 route between Mbekweni to Paarl.

Western Cape’s Mobility MEC, Ricardo Mackenzie are delighted with the outcome of the meeting with SANTACO

“The commitments made in today’s engagement indicate a show of good faith from all sides. Through the Task Team, we will work together to address the challenges faced by the minibus taxi industry and ensure people can travel safely this week.”

Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde thanked the leadership of SANTACO for agreeing to Wednesday’s meeting.

“We need to find a way forward together to reach a sustainable solution to the grievances raised by the council. We must all ensure our residents come first and that they can move around safely and reliably.”

“It is not just about averting this strike, which I am thrilled we have been able to achieve at a time when our economy is struggling amid stage 6 loadshedding, it is also about improving public transport, making it an economic enabler to meet the growing needs of our growing population. In an environment where we are facing increasing congestion and a dysfunctional passenger rail system that is unable to ease problems in the mobility sector, a longer-term issue for us is: how we build an integrated public transport system that is the backbone and enabler of our economy and society. You the minibus taxi industry play a critical role in citizen mobility,” he added.

McKenzie is set to convene and chair a weekly task team comprised of representatives from the Western cape Government and the City of Cape Town, together with leadership of SANTACO-Western Cape, to address issues such as  fast-tracking the Special Regulatory Process related to operating licences; training of registered drivers to upskill them in critical skills; and other measures to enhance commuter safety.

 

Done By: Mitchum George