Taxi owners and drivers are feeling the pinch as long-distance transportation has been brought to a halt.
“Long-distance routes have been shut down. There is no movement at all. The last day we actually travelled long distances was on Thursday, 26 March,” said Seriba Loeto, a taxi owner and deputy chairperson of the Randfontein Taxi Association.
He further described the situation as bad because there is no income at all for some taxi drivers and owners, especially those who ferry passengers over long distances.
“We will not be able to pay drivers commission. Normally, for every R1 000 a driver makes, he gets 20 per cent, but now there will be no income at all,” he feared.
He added that the same goes for local routes.
“Normally, 50 taxis operate from the taxi rank in Brandvlei but now, half of them are available on the one day, and the other half operate the following day. Drivers make as little as R150 for the day, knowing that they will not be working the next day. We spend about R300 or more on petrol, so we are not making any profit.”
He added that the hours they are allowed to work during lockdown also make it difficult for passengers to travel.
“For example, people go to town in the morning to do essential business and are done by 11am, but then they have to wait until 4pm before they can go home due to fewer taxis on the roads.”
Mvulane Maseko, another local taxi driver said the industry has been in crisis ever since the start of the lockdown.
“It would be better if we also could claim from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), but we are not registered. I do not know how much I will earn each week. This is a problem, considering I am the sole breadwinner for my son. It’s really difficult,” he emphasised.
