Ritchie taxis back on the road after protest over bus transport system

Taxis in Ritchie were back on the road on Wednesday following protest action where commuters were unable to travel to work on Tuesday, August 19. 

The town's main road was barricaded, and transport services were not operating on Tuesday after public transport buses were impounded. 

Commuters stated that they had already loaded money on their bus tickets and were unable to afford taxi fare.

“Taxis charge R30 per trip while a bus ticket is R15 per trip,” one person said.

Meanwhile, Taxi operators in Ritchie believed that they should be granted transport subsidies, so that they could be competitive by also charging R15 per ride.

The MEC for the Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison, Limakatso Koloi, met with members of the Ritchie Taxi Association and the community on Tuesday.

SAPS Northern Cape spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Kock stated that the Kimberley Public Order Policing Unit and Modderriver Saps responded to a community protest in Ritchie on Tuesday, August 19.

He said around 50 community members partially blocked the main road at about 4am, using tree branches to allegedly express their dissatisfaction with the current public bus transport system.

“Relevant stakeholders engaged with the community regarding their concerns, and following discussions, the road was fully reopened for traffic at approximately 4pm.” 

Kock indicated that there were no serious or violent incidents that were reported. 

“The police will continue to monitor the situation to ensure stability,” he added.