The provincial government condemned yesterday's intimidation of transport MEC Ismail Vadi by meter taxi drivers. It says it is committed to building an integrated, smart and modernised public transport system, which will include Uber.
Vadi was confronted at a press conference by meter taxi drivers yesterday after he announced the department would issue Uber drivers operating licences so that they can operate under the same laws as meter taxi drivers.
The minister was stopped from leaving the department's offices by the crowd until the police arrived.
The press conference was held to launch the long-awaited Uber operating licence application process, so the drivers who run the e-hailing application may be seen as public transport.
"Whilst [the] MEC was preparing to leave the venue after launching the licensing process for the Uber driver partners, he was accosted by a group of individuals purported to be members of the meter taxi operators. The group became extremely aggressive and the MEC's security detail had to remove him from the scene. The MEC is well and safe," a statement issued by the provincial department says.
"We will not tolerate hooliganism and intimidation by any group or individuals in our pursuit to build an integrated, affordable and modernised transport system," said premier David Makhura.
He added the regulation of Uber will allow for legal operation by these drivers. "We do not agree with those who want to impose their own solutions to challenges."
The premier added government is willing to discuss any matters affecting transport operators, but discussions must happen in a peaceful manner.
Uber spokesperson Samantha Allenberg said in a statement yesterday: "We are aware of the disruption at this morning's press conference at the Department of Transport. We are relieved nobody was seriously injured. We are in contact with the relevant stakeholders and remain committed to ensuring people can enjoy a safe, affordable, hassle-free time travelling however they choose to get around Gauteng."
Ongoing battle
Government has been slow in regulating Uber, which led to ambiguity around how the e-hailing service should be licensed.
With operations across five cities in SA ? Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, all of which have interpreted the national licensing protocol differently ? this resulted in a legislation deadlock.
In addition to licensing issues, Uber drivers were being intimidated by other metered cab drivers who claimed Uber was stealing their business and operating illegally.
In March, government announced it will move to approve a Bill to regulate Uber in SA so that the e-hailing service can be regulated by authorities in line with other metered taxi operations.
Uber is operational in over 70 countries, with more than a million drivers globally. SA was the first country outside of the US where three cities were operational at the same time.
The e-hailing service has continued to grow in the country. In 2014, there were over one million trips in SA, and in the first half of 2015, there were over two million trips booked.
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