Task team on e-tolls to meet August deadline – minister
Government will soon implement a prepaid smartcard to be used by those without access to bank accounts to pay for public transport.
The task team that was established to find a viable solution to e-tolls has resolved to provide a solution by August of this year.
The team will be led by transport minister Fikile Mbalula.
It was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa, following an “extremely unfortunate and deeply regrettable” social media exchange between Mbalula and finance minister Tito Mboweni.
“We know that there are robust views that come from The Treasury in terms of the fiscus and the debt that we owe,” Mbalula said during his opening address at the national transport conference in Pretoria this week.
The transport conference, currently taking place at the CSIR, continues until Thursday.
It will host a contingent of international and local transport industry speakers, thought leaders, academics, students and engineers.
“We know there are views in relation to our borrowing capacity and the bond market,” Mbalula said.
“A report will be tabled [by the team] before [the President] and from there will be given to the Cabinet.”
Mbalula promised to have a solution to the e-tolling matter before the August deadline.
The minister also said government was in the process of implementing a prepaid smart card which would be used by those without access to bank accounts to pay for public transport.
“Sanral will provide its infrastructure and platforms to be used to host these accounts,” he said.
“In the near future, the same account will allow public transport users to pay for all services, from parking to public transport to tolls.”
Mbalula conceded that government had to make speedy provision to regulate e-hailing services in the country.
“The government’s role is to speedily come up with new policies and laws that will render these ‘disruptive technologies’ beneficial to all.”
He said the country was still a long way off the transition from driver-operated to autonomous vehicles.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
