Videocrux - New buses infuriate taxi drivers ahead of World Cup

#Videocrux - New buses infuriate taxi drivers ahead of World Cup New buses infuriate taxi drivers ahead of World Cup
Smart new public buses already roll past Johannesburg's two World Cup stadiums, but anger is simmering within the mini-bus industry, which feels sidelined at the tournament.
BRT bus, new transport system in Johannesburg
It's the new transport system changing the lives of many of Johannesburg's citizens. Welcome aboard the Bus Rapid Transit network, or B-R-T. Rolled out in the run-up to this year's World Cup, it links the sprawling township of Soweto with central Johannesburg and of course, the new Soccer City stadium. Passenger, "It's comfortable and very easy to use as well, you do not have to wait for long, to wait for the buses to come and all of that so I really enjoy being on it."
BRT system angers taxi drivers
It's also at the centre of a growing storm. Anger is mounting among drivers of the city's many taxi vans, who say the bus service is killing their business. That anger has already boiled over violently, with taxi drivers attacking infrastructure and firing shots at B-R-T buses. Taxi driver, "What the government is doing now? They are making roads only for buses so the traffic must sketch us, you see, but all these years we were working together, buses and taxis together. You see now, it is only for buses, there is a line for buses only."
BRT recruiting drivers only from the taxi industry
For decades Johannesburg's taxi drivers enjoyed a public transport monopoly, as the white minority government ignored the needs of the black populations in the townships? Now that's under threat, some are applying for jobs as bus drivers. Conel Mackay, Safety and Security Manager, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), "The bulk of the drivers are actually former taxi drivers and as a matter of principle we are recruiting drivers only from the taxi industry to ensure that people who where involved in the taxi industry are not displaced, that they are accommodated in the new system as much as possible."
Authorities claim market can sustain both vehicles
But some of those still running the ubiquitous mini vans say there aren't enough jobs to go round, and those left behind will struggle.Taxi driver, "If they take our people where are we going to work? What must we eat?" Authorities insist the market is big enough to sustain both buses and taxis. But with the World Cup looming, and organisers' nerves on edge, there's still no end to the dispute in sight

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