Government to give taxi passengers masks, as minibus restrictions relaxed

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula on Wednesday announced a few relaxed regulations governing public transport during the national lockdown, which now allow taxis to carry up to 100% of their passenger capacity provided they wear approved masks.

Speaking in Johannesburg at the MTN taxi rank, he said government was doing all it could to curb the spread of Covid-19, including a mass rollout of surgical masks or N95 respiratory masks to passengers. It was not clear whether government would fund the purchase of all these masks or whether the taxi industry would have to fund or partly fund it.

“Don’t get into a taxi that doesn’t follow the rules,” he told commuters.

Taxis would only be allowed to transport people who are deemed to administer special or essential services, he said. People who wanted food needed to buy in nearby areas and avoid flocking into congested areas.

“A minibus licensed to carry 10 passengers is limited to carry a maximum of 7,” read the new gazetted rules, which were signed on Monday, though Mbalula only announced them publicly today.

A 15-seater can now carry 10 people. A 22-seater can load 15, but a four-seater vehicle can still only carry 50% of its carrying capacity, suggesting the concessions were made only to appease the taxi industry.

Mbalula signed off on rules that if a taxi’s passengers were all wearing masks, it would be allowed to be filled to 100% as long as the masks were surgical masks or N95 respiratory masks.

Taxis are being allowed to operate extended hours to cater to social grant beneficiaries this week.

“We have given a limited-service for taxis to operate during the lockdown period. Our engagements with counterparts are ongoing.”

The government would provide both masks and sanitisers at taxi ranks, Mbalula added, while stressing that it was important to ensure everyone in the taxi adhered to proper hygiene.

Taxi associations have been upset at the dire financial implications a lockdown means for their services, as government had earlier decreed that taxis should run half empty.

Government understood this issue, said Mbalula, while reiterating that essential services workers were the focus, as well as the elderly needing transport to collect social grants being the exception this week.

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