Sir
The National Transport Amendment Bill, introduced to meet the demands of new developments within the land transport sector and to provide for issues that have arisen since the implementation of the National Land Transport Act 5 of 2009, was debated in the KZN Legislature earlier this week.
The DA has supported this Bill which meets two of our key policy considerations. In essence, the Bill seeks to:
– Regulate e-hailing taxi services to eradicate the current conflict between Uber taxis and normal taxis;
– Provide for different modes of transport – both motorised and non-motorised;
– Devolve power to provinces and local authorities.
The DA does, however, have serious concerns around whether municipalities have the necessary capacity in terms of funds and skills to implement the Bill.
In order to fulfil the transport mandate as envisaged by the Bill, we believe that provinces will have to capacitate, guide and assist municipalities in this regard.
Proper coordination and inter-modal planning between the various local authorities will be key so that transport becomes seamless, irrespective of which municipal area is involved. This may also require the development and maintenance of a land transport information system in order to meet emerging challenges presented by developments in the land transport sector.
The Bill also provides clarity on the functions of the three spheres of government in respect of land transport. However, in order to provide safe and cost-effective transport to our people, there would have to be an effective working synergy between these three tiers.
A fully functional transport network is key to kick-starting our province’s sluggish economy, thereby creating desperately needed jobs. The DA remains committed to working towards improving this system in an effort to improve the lives of KZN’s people.
Rafeek Shah, MPL
