Taxi drivers allege that they have not benefitted from eThekwini Municipality’s Moja Cruise incentives program. Image: TMPD/ Facebook
Taxi fare INCREASE starting July – not good for commuters’ pockets
SANTACO has no choice but to increase taxi fares as they are working at a loss and petrol has become expensive.
Taxi drivers allege that they have not benefitted from eThekwini Municipality’s Moja Cruise incentives program. Image: TMPD/ Facebook
With fuel already costing motorists a lot of money, taxi commuters across the country can also expect fare increases starting in July.
South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) confirmed the increase this week, after their 6th national elective conference which was held in Sun City.
TAXI FARES TO INCREASE ANNUALLY
SANTACO Public relations officer, Boy Zondi said the organisation has decided that taxi fare increases will be done annually.
“We will no longer have fare increases based on the petrol prices that are taking place every day because it ends up confusing our commuters.”
Zondi.
The fare increase will be done differently this year around due to the prices people are already paying for petrol.
Zondi made an example that if in previous years they were increasing the taxi fare by R5 passengers should now expect that it might increase to R7.
TAXI INDUSTRY RUNNING AT A LOSS
In the coming weeks, commuters should expect to see the new prices in taxis in their respective areas.
“Each region will have to determine their new prices themselves and communicate them to the relevant communities.
“This is beyond our control and petrol is too expensive, we are basically just running at a loss at this moment,”
Zondi said.
PETROL PRICE INCREASE SET TO CRIPPLE SA
Meanwhile, South Africans were shocked by the revelation that the petrol price could rise by more than R3-per-litre in June.
A horrendous mix of rising oil prices, plummeting rand values, and the lifting of a suspension on the General Fuel Levy will pile on the costs of petrol and diesel prices, which have already reached dizzying new heights in 2022.
With fuel prices already sky-high, government intervention has only managed to ease the cost of petrol and diesel by meagre amounts. Indeed, the last two months of decreases now look set to be wiped out spectacularly.
The motorists of Mzansi are now facing abject misery on the forecourt, with inland citizens likely to pay more than R25-per-litre to fill up their tanks next month.
That figure is all the more jarring when you consider what we were forking out only last year.
ALSO READ: Petrol price: Some fuels set to cost DOUBLE what they did last year
