Joburg taxi fare hikes worsen
Commuters to fork out R30 – up from R11 – for a taxi trip from Alexandra to Sandton, a 172% increase
MORE THAN 70 taxi associations in Johannesburg are expected to implement taxi fare hikes from next Monday. It was announced yesterday that about 76 taxi associations, 61 taxi associations affiliated with the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco), and 15 affiliated with the Top Six Taxi Association were expected to hike taxi fares.
This comes after the Alexandra-Randburg-Midrand-Sandton Taxi Association (Armsta) and the Alexandra Taxi Association (ATA) had already announced that there would be a 172% increase in taxi fares from R11 to R30.
Santaco Gauteng spokesperson Midday Mali said 61 of their affiliations were considering introducing a taxi fare increment, however the matter has not been confirmed or finalised yet.
“We are going to call our Johannesburg affiliates, including the Alexandra Taxi Association, so that we renegotiate this fare increase of 172% with them tomorrow and on Wednesday we’ll have a bigger forum. We are not saying that must not increase, but not with that 172%,” he said.
Meanwhile, Top Six national chairperson Kgaripane Sam confirmed yesterday that 15 of their affiliates would increase their taxi fares to R30 across the board.
Sam said the associations felt that the increment was justified because the 70% capacity taxi regulation was hurting the industry.
“These taxis that are operating with only 70% capacity, without subsidies from the government, will be repossessed because, for example, I won’t the government had yet to provide relief to the industry.
“Right now we are stagnant and we’re not getting help from the government, but we don’t even know how much they will give us,” he said.
Sam said the government should approach banks and ask them to freeze the accounts of taxi owners until the coronavirus pandemic ends. “They are going to repossess our taxis and even our small cars, they will repossess our houses and we won’t have money for school fees for our children,” he said.
Taxi operator Samuel Mbatha, who owns two taxis, said the lockdown was killing his business and that he was barely surviving. “I own two taxis, but they are barely making any money and I can’t pay for all of my instalments because there isn’t any money coming in,” he said.
Mbatha said he paid R15 000 and
R4 200 respectively for his taxi instalments, on top of paying mortgage, however on an ordinary day during the lockdown, the taxis could sometimes make only R300 each.
“At this point, I am thinking about applying for a social grant, because if the situation is like this – and it is bad – so I might as well,” he said.
A taxi commuter who asked to remain anonymous said the expected taxi fare hike would be a problem for her because there was already an issue of scarce taxis on the roads.
“This taxi fare hike will make me very unhappy and it also means that people will have to walk wherever they have to go, but if it increases it will be a big issue,” she said. She added that she was currently unemployed and was worried that she won’t be able to afford the new taxi fare.