BHISHO‘S R117-million Kei Rail Link investment to re-introduce a train service between East London and Mthatha is not sitting well with major taxi operators in the Border-Kei area, who say the initiative will damage their business.

“This will hit us hard,” said David Goniwe of the Mdantsane/East London Taxi Association (Melta). The East London Taxi Association (Elta) and Uncedo, the other major operators on the Buffalo City/Mthatha route, agree that the initially envisaged weekend-only passenger service would have “severe” effects on the taxi industry.

Operators say they are at their busiest over weekends when literally hundreds of people from Buffalo City make the trip home to Transkei.

“And they come back on a Sunday or a Monday morning – weekends are when taxi vehicles run at capacity,” Goniwe says.

Pricing is a major worry for the operators who now charge on average between R60 and R70 for a one-way ride between East London and Mthatha. “When I last checked, a one-way ticket by train would cost around R25,” roads and transport spokesman Ncedo Kumbaca said yesterday.

“How can we compete with that?” taxi operators asked, emphasising high operating costs such as ever-rising fuel prices, spares, tyres and other maintenance costs.

“Add to that the costs of the new taxis the government expects us to buy as the old ones are being phased out,” Goniwe said. The government paid a scrapping allowance of R50 000 per vehicle, he said, while a new taxi cost at least R250 000.

“We provide an essential service – public transport – yet we receive nothing in the way of subsidies from the government. We have to do a lot of trips before we start getting a return on our investment.”

The promised launch of the East London- Mthatha Kei Rail link – delayed earlier this year until the end of July – has once again been postponed “to sometime in September”, Roads and Transport MEC Thobile Mhlahlo said this week.

The launch was delayed due to a shortage of suitably qualified and experienced train drivers, a problem which in the interim has been resolved with the contracting of four retired drivers who have been undergoing intensive training and reorientation.

http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/news/n11_27072007.htm