The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it was concerned about non-paying commuters at stations such as Steenberg, Stock Road and Nyanga.
It said a “commuter free-for-all” is a ticking time bomb that lies at the heart of the city’s public-transport system.
The chamber raised the alarm in a statement, saying it had been informed by taxi and bus stakeholders that “non-paying passengers are barging onto trains en masse at key stations on the main commuter line, posing a serious public safety risk.
“The lawlessness is impacting both the local taxi and bus services, also aggravating commercial rivalries and escalating tensions within an already volatile sector.”
It called on immediate action from Metrorail. The statement further claimed that taxi and bus stakeholders had raised concerns with Metrorail, but to no avail.
“Several taxis were torched in Nyanga recently, reportedly due to tensions related to a significant drop in business as a result of free train rides.”
The chamber said the security breach came amid concerted efforts to reform the taxi industry, an initiative supported by a broad coalition of stakeholders in both the private and public sector.
It said Metrorail had a legal obligation to protect its passengers.
“It has also made good progress in repairing the commuter rail system following years of neglect. We cannot allow years of good work to be undone by criminal elements intent on destabilising a fragile commuter network, to the detriment of commuter safety.”
The chamber said it was concerned that this lawlessness amounted to unfair competition, by drawing commuters away from taxi and bus operators who are justifiably aggrieved.
“The state should be supporting these vital business sectors, not threatening their viability. In our view the problem could be largely contained via a few swift security measures. Metrorail should ensure proper ticket control – by verifying that commuters are in possession of valid tickets – and access control to train platforms. Staff need to be adequately trained and equipped to prevent chaos before it unfolds.”
The chamber said it is committed to helping all stakeholders reach a resolution to the current crisis.
Zinobulali Mihi, Prasa’s acting head of department for marketing and communications, said they are investigating the matter.
“We are conducting a thorough investigation into the allegations of passengers boarding trains without paying their fares and accessing stations through alternate routes. This will include reviewing video footage from Steenberg, Nyanga and Stock Road stations.”
Responding to questions on how the agency would beef up security measures to ensure proper access control when commuters enter trains Mihi said they have internal action teams that assist to close the gaps of fare invasions.
“On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we have verification of train tickets that are requested to be shown and removed out of the ticket holders. We also have teams that ‘jump the trains’ on an ad hoc basis.”
According to Mihi staff are deployed based on stats received of hotspot areas.
“However, we have so many stations where there are no challenges with fare evasion. Our staff deployment at station level is based on the size of the station and passenger numbers.”
