Passengers in Cape Town are not happy with the taxi industry’s decision to stop operations on Monday and Tuesday.
Stay away to protest the provincial government’s announcement to end the Blue Dot taxi pilot program at the end of this month. Taxi drivers are outraged by what they say are regular confiscations of their cars.
Passengers say they do not have access to alternative transport and cannot afford it.
One passenger expressed concern about the planned strike: “There is no work and no pay, so even now I don’t think of going home, I just have to book a place nearby, which is much cheaper for me than going back and not knowing how to go back. Trains and buses are expensive, so we have to walk or bike. This will affect all of us in Cape Town because the people who work hard are the ones who lose out.”
Video: Thousands of commuters stranded as taxi operators protest against bus services
Taxi organizations operating on the Garden Route and the Karoo region say they will not be involved in the Western Cape closures planned for Monday and Tuesday.
SANTACO’s vice chairman in the Eden region, Velele Mbudede, says their invitation to the SANTACO provincial meeting came too late and they could not consult all their regional members in time.
“We stand in solidarity with our colleagues. We don’t always see eye to eye with the government. What they are complaining about are issues that affect us as well, such as the Blue Dot program and the confiscation of taxis,” Mbudede explained.
The Garden Route and Karoo will not be part of the provincial departure. Deputy regional chairman Velele Mbudede says they support the action but their invitation to the provincial meeting came too late and they could not consult their regional members in time.#sabcnews pic.twitter.com/FLgvFgfLWf
— Sfive Khobasi (@MrCow_man) November 20, 2022
