Court ruling on Putco application welcomed

Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Ismail Vadi has welcomed a Labour Court judgement which dismissed an application by Putco to have new bus operator, Autopax, take over staff affected by the cancellation of some route contracts in Gauteng.

“This decision vindicates our argument that Autopax is not legally obligated to take on Putco’s staff complement as it voluntarily terminated eight contracts with the department and is not transferring a going concern to the new operator,” MEC Vadi said on Thursday.

He said the Court held the view that the contract between the department and Autopax did not constitute a transfer of the business as a “going concern”.

The case was dismissed on Wednesday with no order costs.

Talks between GPMTC, Uber

Meanwhile, MEC Vadi on Wednesday facilitated talks between the Gauteng Provincial Metered Taxi Council (GPMTC) and Uber.

The talks led to an interim framework agreement between the two parties aimed at easing tensions.

MEC Vadi said the talks were very constructive and led to an understanding of the different kinds of services being provided by metered taxis and Uber partner-drivers.

GPMTC and Uber agreed to hold a bilateral meeting to further develop a common perspective on the nature of metered taxi and Uber operations.

The parties also agreed to consider the possibilities of strengthening an amicable relationship.

This meeting will take place on 18 July 2015.

MEC Vadi said the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport will advise the Provincial Regulatory Entity responsible for the issuing of public transport licenses to accept, process and where applicable, approve Uber partner-drivers under the metered taxi services operating license category.

“This means that, Uber partner-drivers should apply for metered taxi licenses and they should do so as soon as possible,” he said.

All parties agreed that any form of violence and intimidation against any service provider or their clients was unacceptable.

They also agreed to encourage their respective members to desist from any such conduct that will bring the public transport industry into disrepute.