Cape Town Transit-Taxi Talks Break Down

Negotiations between taxi operators and local transit officials are breaking down in Cape Town, where officials have refused requests by taxi officials to hold explanatory conference sessions with taxi drivers to clear the air about the city's Integrated Rapid Transit system.

Taxi operators walked out of an IRT workshop with mayor Dan Plato yesterday after he rejected a proposal to hold a conference for the province's more than 5 000 taxi drivers to explain the IRT process.

Speaking after the meeting, Western Cape National Taxi Association (NTA) spokesman Mvuyisi Mente said talks had deadlocked and that it was now up to the city council to contact them with a date for a provincial "indaba".

IRT: Talks with taxi men break down
Cape Argus
November 3, 2009