Dear Select Committee on Transport, Public Service and Administration, Public Works and Infrastructure,

We propose a halt to the monopoly of the taxi industry in South Africa. Firstly. The roads are owned by South Africa not the taxi industry. Their persistence that they own routes make it seem like they own the roads and we are just mere tools for them to make money needs to end. Secondly, taxi violence can attributed to the monopoly of the taxi industry in the public sector.. with too many taxis and vying for the same profit in a monopoly you are bound to get killings. They have now broadened their horizon into other commuter services where we have seen them ( taxi owners) have shares in other public transporting systems like Rea vaya , Putco and other busses and if they can't get what they think is due to them, they burn and terrorise public transport services like uber/bolt and metered taxis.

As citizens we are also terrorised and harassed at malls to get into taxis. Rea vaya in Soweto is not operational because of the taxi owners who bought a stake into rea vaya and ate into the coffers and now can't pay the drivers .

If it means there be a war between the government and the taxi industry let it be so but we can't be terrorised by a minority if we have a government that works. Furthermore, taxis should be designated stopping areas with mandatory personnel who run the stops from the AMs as part of negotiations that need to be had with the taxi association. We wait in the aims for taxis that pass and we end up getting mugged because there is no guarantee we will get a taxi and winter is darker than usual thus criminals target this lack of presence to rape and mug us.