Johannesburg’s taxi industry remains divided over the introduction of a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in the city, which will see many taxis taken off the roads, with a planned protest taking place today.

Most taxi operators have joined talks with the city about how they can join the BRT system as a joint owners and operators, however some in the taxi industry remain opposed to the idea.

BRT, also known as Rea Vaya, is due to be introduced on June 1 on a limited scale. That introduction alone will see 550 taxis removed from the roads.

The government has stressed that the introduction of the bus system will not result in job losses, as all taxi drivers can be retrained as bus drivers.

Expanding on Transport Minister Jeff Radebe’s claim in October that taxi drivers would be better off under the new system, the BRT steering committee has said affected drivers can expect better salaries and formal benefits, as part of the bus industry.

Sam Monareng, Department of Transport spokesman, also said last year that the new system would generate huge employment creation with job opportunities in station security, customer assistants, fare collection assistants, maintenance and cleaning.