So, a new electronic fare collections system was launched at Bosman Taxi Rank by the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport.
The system will allow commuters to pay with a simple swipe of a smart card or a tap on their cellphones when boarding a taxi. The FairPay system will work similarly to the ones used by the Gautrain and Rea Vaya bus systems. Very interesting.
Maybe it will decrease the long queues in taxi ranks caused by the driver counting change or commuters being short of change resulting in a taxi standing still because one person has not paid their fare. The real question here is, who came up with the idea and were taxi owners and drivers consulted on the issue?
There have been mixed reactions, especially from drivers because it will affect them directly.
Imali yekawosi (or skelm money) is an an informal wage that taxi drivers give themselves after collecting taxi fares from passengers. This means that from now on taxi drivers will have to depend solely on their salary. No more sneaking extra routes during the day to make extra cash for themselves.
The taxi has been an informal business for years where hardcore cash is made every day. Will this new system the government is trying to put in place really benefit the taxi business or will it be the downfall of the taxi industry? The are many secrets about the business that will always be known only by owners and drivers.
Let’s look at the commuters … will they appreciate the new system? Sure it comes with the benefits of not carrying cash all the time or carrying heavy change in their wallets, but will they really be happy about it.
The old system has been working fine because many can make a living easily at taxi ranks. What would happen to taxi rank marshalls who help us find our way when we are lost, or the ucabhaboy who opens the door for you to get into a taxi? All these people play an important role in the taxi business and this is how they make their money daily, in cash. But with an electronic fare collection system how will these perhaps, forgotten people make money now?I’m not saying the taxi business is perfect, but why fix what was not broken? People have not complained about paying cash in taxis and drivers have not expressed any concerns either.
Read: Taxi industry to introduce card payments
What we would appreciate as commuters is to see brand-new taxis on the roads as it seems not all the skorokoros (old, scrappy vehicles) were exchanged.
This system will cost a lot of money because the system needs to be installed and commuters will have to buy cards, a process I’m sure the older folk will not find comfortable. I’m thinking as a commuter myself, and how this will potentially inconvenience us. I mean, sometimes I want to jump on a taxi instead of using my car, and this new system would not allow for this.
Details: #cashlesstaxi #fairpay
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