ActionSA notes the Gauteng government’s plan to launch a government-run e-hailing platform, purportedly to improve commuter safety and formalise the sector. Whilst commuter safety is vital, we caution against this project becoming nothing more than another headline-grabbing distraction from the ANC government’s consistent record of failures in the transport sector.
The provincial government, under ANC leadership, has repeatedly squandered public funds on grand integrated transport projects that have delivered little to no benefit for commuters, hence the escalating traffic congestion on our roads exacerbated by dysfunctional traffic lights and, of late, the tragic loss of an e-hailing driver’s life.
From Smart Mobility 2030, which aimed to create a connected, integrated and efficient transport system using smart technology to reduce congestion and improve road safety; to the Transport Authority of Gauteng (TAG), intended to ensure coordinated transport planning and implementation between the provincial government and municipalities and Centralized Command and Control Hub, the Transport Management Centre (TMC) that was supposed to modernise transport services through digital transformation, with a focus on improving safety and reliability, no benefit has accrued to Gauteng residents.
Promised integration between Rea Vaya, taxis and other public transport modes has never materialised, leaving commuters stranded, unsafe and in traffic chaos. Nor has the Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network (IRPTN) seen the light of day, over a decade after their ‘development’.
The tragic attack on an e-hailing driver at Maponya Mall is not an isolated incident; it is the product of years of government inaction and failed enforcement. Instead of strengthening policing and enforcing regulations for existing e-hailing operators, the province now proposes a new platform, likely to follow the same trajectory as the previous projects: ambitious promises, poor execution and wasted public money.
Whilst the provincial government claims this initiative will create youth employment and formalise the e-hailing sector, ActionSA questions whether this is a genuine effort at addressing Gauteng’s socio-economic catastrophe or yet another patronage pipeline for politically connected individuals, just as we often see with government projects or the Nas’iSpani initiative.
ActionSA’s Demands
• Full Transparency: Publish a comprehensive cost analysis, project plan and rollout schedule for public scrutiny.
• Independent Oversight: Establish a non-partisan monitoring body to ensure accountability and prevent tender corruption.
• Immediate Safety Interventions: Deploy visible policing, fast-track permit processing and improve existing e-hailing regulations rather than waiting for a new platform to take shape.
ActionSA supports any initiative that genuinely improves commuter safety and creates meaningful employment as well as enhance socio-economic activities, but we will not stand idly by whilst government uses public funds to create another white elephant that squanders the public purse.
Gauteng deserves a government that fixes existing failures instead of creating new ones; a government that implements solutions instead of promising them.
ActionSA Notes Gauteng Government’s E-hailing Platform Launch Plan, Cautions Against Repeat of Previous Failures
ActionSA notes the Gauteng government’s plan to launch a government-run e-hailing platform, purportedly to improve commuter safety and formalise the sector. Whilst commuter safety is vital, we caution against this project becoming nothing more than another headline-grabbing distraction from the ANC government’s consistent record of failures in the transport sector.
The provincial government, under ANC leadership, has repeatedly squandered public funds on grand integrated transport projects that have delivered little to no benefit for commuters, hence the escalating traffic congestion on our roads exacerbated by dysfunctional traffic lights and, of late, the tragic loss of an e-hailing driver’s life.
From Smart Mobility 2030, which aimed to create a connected, integrated and efficient transport system using smart technology to reduce congestion and improve road safety; to the Transport Authority of Gauteng (TAG), intended to ensure coordinated transport planning and implementation between the provincial government and municipalities and Centralized Command and Control Hub, the Transport Management Centre (TMC) that was supposed to modernise transport services through digital transformation, with a focus on improving safety and reliability, no benefit has accrued to Gauteng residents.
Promised integration between Rea Vaya, taxis and other public transport modes has never materialised, leaving commuters stranded, unsafe and in traffic chaos. Nor has the Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network (IRPTN) seen the light of day, over a decade after their ‘development’.
The tragic attack on an e-hailing driver at Maponya Mall is not an isolated incident; it is the product of years of government inaction and failed enforcement. Instead of strengthening policing and enforcing regulations for existing e-hailing operators, the province now proposes a new platform, likely to follow the same trajectory as the previous projects: ambitious promises, poor execution and wasted public money.
Whilst the provincial government claims this initiative will create youth employment and formalise the e-hailing sector, ActionSA questions whether this is a genuine effort at addressing Gauteng’s socio-economic catastrophe or yet another patronage pipeline for politically connected individuals, just as we often see with government projects or the Nas’iSpani initiative.
ActionSA’s Demands
• Full Transparency: Publish a comprehensive cost analysis, project plan and rollout schedule for public scrutiny.
• Independent Oversight: Establish a non-partisan monitoring body to ensure accountability and prevent tender corruption.
• Immediate Safety Interventions: Deploy visible policing, fast-track permit processing and improve existing e-hailing regulations rather than waiting for a new platform to take shape.
ActionSA supports any initiative that genuinely improves commuter safety and creates meaningful employment as well as enhance socio-economic activities, but we will not stand idly by whilst government uses public funds to create another white elephant that squanders the public purse.
Gauteng deserves a government that fixes existing failures instead of creating new ones; a government that implements solutions instead of promising them.