The City of Cape Town is the only municipality in the country that provides a public transport service for people who have special needs and who are unable to use conventional or mainstream public transport. Read more below:
This dedicated kerb-to-kerb service for people with disabilities who are unable to access mainstream public transport is subsidised by the Western Cape Government and the City.
‘The City has a limited budget and is currently engaging with the Western Cape Government to increase its subsidy. It is also requesting that National Government provides a financial contribution which will allow for an increase in capacity,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Alderman Felicity Purchase.
Once the additional capacity becomes available the City will arrange for applicants on the waiting list to be assessed by an occupational therapist to ensure fairness and that due diligence is performed.
The service continues.
HG Travelling Services was appointed through a tendering process and it has been providing the accessible public transport (APT) services since 1 December 2015.
The tender with HG Travelling Services was for the period from 1 December 2015 and it is due to expire in June 2018.
In anticipation of the expiration of the current contract, a new tender for the Dial-a-Ride service was advertised on 6 October 2017 and the closing date was 7 November 2017.
The tender for the provision of this service on behalf of the City was awarded to WCL Trading CC (WCL) by the City’s Bid Adjudication Committee (tender number: 104S 2017/2018) on 22 January 2018.
HG Travelling Services approached the Western Cape High Court to set aside the awarding of the tender to a new service provider.
The Court granted HG Travelling Services an interdict that prevents the City from going ahead with the awarding of the Dial-a-Ride operating contract to a new service provider until the case has been finalised in court.
On 18 May 2018, the Court served a review application for setting aside the awarding of the contract to the new service provider.
‘It is important to emphasise that the service continues. The interdict prevents the City from issuing the contract to the new service provider until the review application has been finalised in court. HG Travelling Services will keep on providing the Dial-a-Ride service on a month-to-month basis pending the outcome of the court.
‘With 20 vehicles currently in operation, the system is oversubscribed and is under strain. We understand that there is some frustration from the users and we can assure them that we are doing everything in our power to have the service function optimally.
‘Furthermore, we have a penalty system in place that constantly monitors the vehicles and we follow up and ensure that breaches are rectified and that complaints are attended to. As a safe city, we prioritise the safety of the users. Ensuring that the vehicles are in good working condition is of utmost importance. We encourage users to lodge any complaints via the Transport Information Centre,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Alderman Purchase.
A team of five monitors assesses punctuality, driver behaviour as well as the safety of the vehicles. Should the operator be in contravention of the contract penalties are levied.
The service currently transports 350 regular users and 2 270 passengers use it on an ad hoc basis. The services are integrated with that of the MyCiTi bus service which also accommodates passengers in wheelchairs.
Make the service better
Users can lodge complaints to the Transport Information Centre on 0800 656 463. This is a 24/7 information centre and is toll-free from a landline or from a cell phone
Alternatively users can send an email to Transport.Info@capetown.gov.za
How it works
Applicants wanting to make use of the Dial-A-Ride service are required to phone the Transport Information Centre to obtain and to complete an application form. The service is currently oversubscribed. To ensure fairness, new applicants have to be registered on a waiting list.
They are required to undergo an assessment which is conducted by an occupational therapist to determine whether the applicant is able to use conventional public transport services or not. There are 2 300 users who are eligible to use the service. These users have been assessed by an occupational therapist who has confirmed that they are unable to make use of conventional public transport.
The categories for this service are:
Regular users: those who use the service daily for traveling to work and school
Regular ad hoc users: those who use the service at least three times a week for hospital visits, among others
Ad hoc users: those who use the service for travelling to church, among others.
Users need to book in advance to make use of the service as it has a limited capacity.
Since 1 July 2016, the City has been allowing caregivers/travel assistants that are required on the journey to access this service if an occupational therapist has found that their assistance is necessary. Unfortunately, the City cannot make exceptions.
Fares
The City determines the fares during the annual budget process after a comprehensive public participation process which offers residents the opportunity to comment on the proposed fares for each financial year.
All of these comments are taken into account before the fares are submitted to Council for approval.
The current fares are as follows:
Trip length under 5 km: R6,50
Trip length 5 to 10 km: R8,50
Trip length 30 to 40 km: R14,50
Trip length 40 to 50 km: R15
Trip length 50 to 60 km: R15,50
Trip length longer than 60 km: R16
The Dial-a-Ride passengers currently only pay about 10% of the cost of providing the service.
Only a select few, most of whom would have an adapted vehicle, would be able to afford the cost of a commercial service.
Currently it is only charity organisations that provide a limited alternative service.
Source: City Of Cape Town