1. The Taxi Recapitalisation Programme (TRP) has been successful in that to date, 77 763 old and unsafe minibus taxi vehicles have been removed from active operation and over R5 billion of support has been provided to an industry that transports approximately 69% of the public commuters daily while not receiving operational subsidy from government. Only minibus taxi vehicles older than 04 September 2006 are processed for scrapping and only if they are in possession of a valid operating license. As a result, the slow uptake in scrapping cannot simply be attribute to lack of interest from operators but it is equally a consequence of not meeting the requirements.
2. The objective of the TRP goes beyond the scrapping of old taxi vehicles. It forms a key pillar of the national programme to improve public transport, and is focused on the two pillars of improving the safety of passengers using the taxi mode, and the transformation and empowerment of the taxi industry. The South African public transport system consists of the rail, bus and minibus taxi services, with the latter being the only public transport service not receiving operational subsidy.
According to the National Household Travel Survey, the minibus taxi commuters account for approximately 69% of public transport users for work, school and other purposes. Over and above being the main mode of transporting public transport passengers, the taxi industry forms a critical and complex part of the South African economy with its business operations and activities. As a critical strategy in transforming and integrating the public transport system, the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme is aimed, amongst others, at:
Therefore, the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme will be an ongoing programme that ensures the use of safe and compliant vehicles for the majority of commuters and also provide a form of capital subsidy to the industry to incentivise compliance.