Thousands of pupils who rely on government-funded scholar transport will be stranded this morning after taxi operators announced on Friday they would not provide transport.
The operators made the decision because they had not been paid.
Taxi bosses dropped the bombshell while staging a sit-in at the transport department’s Vincent offices where talks between taxi associations and the Eastern Cape transport department collapsed.
The department of transport could not be contacted for comment on the matter, but during a transport portfolio committee meeting at the Bhisho Legislature, transport MEC Weziwe Tikana said payment problems were caused by a shortfall in budget from the National Treasury as they were currently working on a limited budget of R10-million.
A total of 1 850 taxi operators in districts such as Amathole Joe Gqabi, Chris Hani, O R Tambo and Sarah Baartman are said to be owed millions of rands for ferrying 77 237 pupils.
Taxi strike to hit thousands of pupils today
The operators made the decision because they had not been paid.
Taxi bosses dropped the bombshell while staging a sit-in at the transport department’s Vincent offices where talks between taxi associations and the Eastern Cape transport department collapsed.
The department of transport could not be contacted for comment on the matter, but during a transport portfolio committee meeting at the Bhisho Legislature, transport MEC Weziwe Tikana said payment problems were caused by a shortfall in budget from the National Treasury as they were currently working on a limited budget of R10-million.
A total of 1 850 taxi operators in districts such as Amathole Joe Gqabi, Chris Hani, O R Tambo and Sarah Baartman are said to be owed millions of rands for ferrying 77 237 pupils.
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