Uncedo not increasing taxi fare
Uncedo Taxi Association in Thembalethu has assured its commuters that it will not increase taxi fares, despite the announcement made by The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) that prices will increase on Wednesday 1 August due to recent petrol price hikes. Santaco announced on Tuesday 31 July, amid the slight petrol price increase of 1 cent per litre on Wednesday, that taxi fares for local and long-distance operations would increase on Wednesday, with a further review due in June 2019. Santaco spokesperson Thabisho Molelekwa said the increase for local distance taxis will be between R1 and R10, while long distance taxi rides would cost between R1 and R20 more. The increase in the taxi fares by Santaco is influenced by the recent petrol hikes which affected South African motorists. Despite Santaco making this call, local chairman of Uncedo, Welele Mbhudede, said their organisation hasn't made any decision to increase taxi fares and their prices will remain the same.
"We are indeed affected by the petrol price as it affects our business a lot. However, we also think of our commuters who are already affected by the economic challenges such as rising food prices and unemployment. We can't put another burden on them. We have discussed the issue of petrol and we know the challenges and the impact it will have on our business, but for now, we won't increase our fares," said Mbhudede.