The City of Cape Town welcomes the opportunity for the Western Cape High Court to assess the constitutional and funding obligations regarding the Dial-a-Ride service, as this presents a potential path to unlocking critical national government funding.

Audio: https://bit.ly/3JTS96J

During discussions today, the City requested Western Cape Network on Disability’s legal representatives to join the national government and all relevant state organs to court proceedings as part of their urgent application for a review of the City’s necessary adjustments to the Dial-a-Ride service due to funding constraints.

To enable the court process to unfold in good faith, the City will in the interim extend existing Dial-a-Ride services while the Western Cape Disability Network expedites its application. This mutual agreement has now been made an order of court.

This extension provides an important window to engage in a broader conversation about the respective mandates and responsibilities across all spheres of government in the provision of specialised services such as Dial-a-Ride.

The City of Cape Town invests more in transport for persons with disabilities than any other metro in South Africa, and is proud to do so. But the City cannot shoulder this responsibility indefinitely without broader support. Delivering true inclusion will require collective effort from all spheres of government, employers and civil society — and not necessarily through funding alone.

In May this year, Council adopted the Universal Access Policy for Accessible Transport, an internationally recognised framework that commits Cape Town to a mainstream system where all people, regardless of ability, can travel independently, safely and with dignity.

These investments are already visible. The MyCiTi bus service is designed for universal access, both the vehicles and infrastructure, and the City is further advancing with the roll-out of Phase 2A, which will connect Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain with the economic hubs of Claremont and Wynberg.

In conjunction to this, we are upgrading our network of sidewalks and pedestrian crossings to further promote inclusive mobility for everyone. The improvements are designed to be accessible to all users, from children, pram-pushers and cyclists, to the elderly and those using mobility aids. These investments will serve far more residents than Dial-a-Ride alone ever could.

While the City has operated Dial-a-Ride since 2002, its ambit has expanded significantly over time to what was first initiated and it’s important to note that municipalities are not mandated to provide this specialised service.

To keep it running, the City has funded Dial-a-Ride directly through the municipal rates account. In the absence of support from other spheres of government, the City has been forced to align the service with its original core objective of transporting wheelchair users and people with severe mobility impairments to and from work until mainstream public transport became universally accessible.

For the service to continue to cater to non-employment related trips, the City hopes the court process may unlock funding needed from other organs of state with the constitutional mandate for services to persons with disabilities.