Dial-a-Ride cut put on pause

In a significant development for disabled residents, the City of Cape Town has paused its decision to cut the Dial-a-Ride service, which was set to be suspended on Monday.

Following a settlement reached with the Western Cape Network on Disability (WCND) on Friday, the service will now continue operating until mid-October. 

The municipality reached an agreement with WCND, which was made an order of court in Western Cape High Court by Acting Judge Wallis Roux.

The service has been in operation since the early 2000s, serving individuals, including the mentally disabled, visually impaired, and infirm, enabling their access to healthcare, places of worship, work, education, and community activities.

Under the impending changes, the service will be severely limited to only wheelchair-bound individuals and those with severe walking impairments, and exclusively for transport to and from work.

The reduction is expected to affect more than 1 000 individuals, who are either blind, visually impaired, and people with other disabilities. The City attributes its decision to an "unsustainable" R12 million annual shortfall.

WCND Chairperson Dr Michelle Botha said its legal team, the People’s Legal Centre, will submit a review application before 10 October to determine whether the City’s decision was lawful.

She added: “The review process may take months, but during that time, Dial-a-Ride must remain fully active.

“It is also a reminder that collective action works, and that disabled people have the power to make a real difference,” Botha said.

The City said that to enable the court process to unfold in good faith, it will extend existing Dial-a-Ride services while the WCDN expedites its application.