Commuters hit with taxi fare increase
Taxi commuters are already feeling the pinch of the proposed taxi fare increase, which is set to take effect from December.
MBOMBELA – A number of commuters in and around Mbombela who spoke to Lowvelder Express, said they are already struggling to accept or come to terms that the fares might go up.
Most say they are already battling to deal with the effects of the ongoing Covid-19 and that it makes their life even more difficult. In an interview with the paper, Topstar Taxi Association’s chairperson, John Mavundla, said,
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“We normally increase our prices only in December each year. We do not just increase our prices because of the increased fuel. We last had our prices increased in December 2020. Covid-19 came, but yet Topstar’s prices remained unchanged. The fuel has been increased several times and we never had our prices increased.
“I will not lie, fuel can be very expensive. But as an association, we care about our passengers and we love them. Other taxi associations increase their fares every April. Some associations have even increased their fares twice as they are still trying to recover from the clutches of Covid-19,” Mavundla said. ALSO
READ: Taxi fares to increase on July 1
Topstar confirmed that it will only increase its fares by R1.
Lucia Ndlovu, who uses taxis to work every day, said, “It gives me a headache. It seems like taxi fares are increasing every day. My salary had been cut due to Covid-19, but expenses keep on climbing and growing.” Another frequent public transport user, Bheki Mongwe, said, “Petrol is expensive. So I am okay with the R1 added.”
