Metered taxi drivers blocked the main highways around South Africa’s biggest airport to protest against Uber Technologies, resulting in passengers missing their flights.
More than 48 vehicles were blocking access to OR Tambo International Airport, which lies east of Johannesburg and serves the economic hub, Gauteng provincial traffic spokesperson Busaphi Nxumalo said. The R24 highway that connects Johannesburg to the airport as well as the R21 to the capital, Pretoria, were blocked.
“Our officers and Gauteng police are on the ground trying to remove the blockage that’s affecting the entrances and exits to the airport,” Nxumalo said.
Airports Company South Africa, the state-owned operator of the facility, is in talks with airlines to establish how they can accommodate travelers delayed by the blockade, Acsa said in an e-mailed statement.
Metered taxi operators have objected to competition from Uber in cities around the world, including Paris and Jakarta. In May, shots were fired in Johannesburg’s Sandton financial district as drivers attacked Uber counterparts in a territorial dispute between workers for the US ride-hailing service and traditional taxi motorists.
“The threats and intimidation against those who want to use Uber to boost their income is unacceptable,” Samantha Allenberg, a spokeswoman for Uber in Africa, said by e-mail. “Today’s protest only underlines why people are increasingly choosing safe, reliable alternatives like Uber. Many metered taxi drivers are already using our technology to boost their incomes and we would welcome more who wish to join their colleagues.”
The drivers didn’t apply for permission to protest, making the demonstration illegal, acting South African Police Service commissioner Kgomotso Phahlane said in an interview on Johannesburg-based Talk Radio 702. The SAPS and metropolitan police from the Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni municipalities have been deployed, he said. — (c) 2017 Bloomberg LP