Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, special delegates from provinces, comrades, once more, in less than a month, we engage in a very important debate under this particular portfolio of transport. This debate is not only important, but critical in that this Bill or piece of legislation before this House stands to transform the lives of our people radically for the better.
For a very long time our people have been calling on us as legislators and government to do something about their plight on our roads. For a very long time we have seen the public transport system being an issue for debate by our people, and calls have been made for government to do something about it.
As we said in the last debate on the Budget Vote for Transport, not only is transport the heartbeat of the South African economy, but also of the social sustenance of our people. Our people use transport for various reasons other than just going to work, ie for active participation in our economy. They use public transport to go to education centres, for business travel, to go on holiday, and migrant workers use it to build families at the end of work seasons.
Of the last-mentioned category, which represents 18% of the South African workforce, about 500 000 workers who travel back home at the end of work seasons regularly use public transport. A total of 74% of the trips are made by taxi and 18% by bus.
We have heard many questions being asked by the very same users of our public transport regarding affordability, safety, comfort and friendliness during travel. It has been reported that our public transport system, as it stands today, is the most unreliable, unsafe and uncomfortable to use, especially our taxis. This state of affairs is quite worrying in that the 2003 national household travel survey key results point out, and I quote:
There are approximately 3,9 million public transport commuters. The 2,5 million taxi commuters account for over 63% of public transport work trips. Bus services account for another 22% of public transport commuters and the balance are carried to work by train. In addition to the 2,5 million commuters who use minibus taxis as their main mode of travel, there are another 325 000 commuters who use taxis either as a feeder mode to other public transport services, or as a distribution service from the main mode to their places of work.
With this kind of scenario, it is quite disturbing to have a situation in which almost half of the taxi passengers and a third of the bus passengers are dissatisfied with the overall quality of service. This, of course, is attributed to a lack of facilities at bus stops, crowding on buses and low frequency at peak hour. Coupled with this is safety from taxi accidents, lack of facilities at ranks and lack of roadworthiness of vehicles. Therefore, it is once more the ANC that is responding to the needs and the cry of our people by introducing this piece of legislation.
It is this piece of legislation that will see to the transformation of the public transport regime, a regime that has for many years been open to only a few operators who, in their own opinion, are bosses of the road. They determine the routes and the fares. They even determine who gets a permit and how much the person must pay in order to get a permit to operate on that particular route, arguing that they started the routes.
This piece of legislation before us will, in actual fact, open the industry to all South Africans who have an interest to venture into this so-called "closed industry". With this regime change our people will be better positioned to have their interests well taken care of.
The introduction of the new vehicles to transport our people, fitted with the required safety equipment and thereby adhering to the transport plans, will curb illegal taxis from operating on our roads. We will see to the stabilisation of this particular industry.
We have also noted the fact that most of our people use taxis as a means of transport. However, the fare regime has not been in their favour, because the subsidy system has been in favour of the buses, which, according to a survey, only account for 18% of the passengers.
For the first time my younger sister will be able to board a taxi to work, without carrying an extra blouse in her bag, because she is afraid that the taxi's door will tear the one she has on. For the first time, she will get to work without being worried about not having the correct taxi fare because it has gone up that particular morning.
For the first time, she will be able to get to work on time because the taxi will not have broken down, and will not get an apology for the inconvenience of an old skorokoro taxi. For the first time, she will be able to get to work sitting comfortably, without being squeezed like a sardine.
After passing this piece of legislation I will go to bed knowing definitely that at least my child's transport is fitted with all the necessary equipment to get her to school safely. I know that with the passing of this piece of legislation I will hear less about the number of children that died whilst being transported to school in unsafe and unroadworthy bakkies in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, etc.
Once more, through this piece of legislation, the poor and workers will feel more protected as they move from one area to another, whether it is to work, to the nearest clinic, school, shopping place or sports ground. Given the public hearings that were held throughout our country and provinces, and the resultant support for the Bill, concerns raised will be addressed in the process of finalisation and implementation of the Bill.
In supporting the Bill, the select committee calls upon all relevant stakeholders to support this Bill because it is quite an important instrument, not only in terms of words or sayings, but, in actual fact, in terms of action.
We know for a fact that not all the issues that were raised during the public hearings will find space. However, the committee is sure that most of the issues that affect particular people directly and negatively will be incorporated in the Bill. Nevertheless, we regard this as a process that would lead us in the right direction. On behalf of the Select Committee on Public Services, I call upon the House to support the Bill. Thank you very much. [Applause.]