More help for taxi operators as transport minister extends Taxi Relief Fund

Taxi operators could get some financial relief amid the Transport Department’s move to extend the Covid-19 Taxi Relief Fund (TRF) by 12 months.

Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga made the announcement in Boksburg on Thursday.

“The department approached Cabinet to request for an extension of the TRF to afford as many taxi operations as possible an opportunity to benefit from the fund. Cabinet approved the extension of the TRF in August 2023 for a further period of 12 months.” said Chikunga.

The amount has now been increased by R2 200 per taxi operator.

“Based on the number of qualifying operating licences, I would like to announce an increase of the amount paid per operating licence from R5 000 to R7 200,” Chikunga said.

“Operators who applied in the first round of the project should apply for a top up of R2 200,” she added.

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Ts & Cs apply

Taxi operators looking to apply for the TRF must tick some boxes to qualify.

Most importantly, an operator must be a South African citizen or a permanent resident. They must also be in possession of a valid operating licence, or receipt of proof of application for renewal of an operating licence.

Lastly, applicants must be registered for income tax with the South African Revenue Service (Sars).

Taxi operators will also be required to provide supporting documents to accompany their application for TRF. This includes:

• Certified ID or proof of business registration.
• Proof of residence.
• Stamped bank account letter
• Proof of tax registration number.

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Taxi ride down memory lane

The TRF was introduced in January 2022 to help taxi operators recover from the negative impact of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

At the height of the pandemic, minibus taxi drivers were only allowed to carry 50% of their vehicle capacity – earning half their potential fare on trips.

This made it difficult for taxi operators to meet daily targets.

In addition to fuel costs, the expense of buying sanitiser to comply with Covid regulations also dug further into their already trimmed pockets. So, the TRT came at a critical time.

However, despite lockdown days being long over, government has decided to extend the fund by another year.

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