OSHABENI commuters were left stranded when taxi drivers went on strike last Friday.
Oshabeni taxi drivers are not happy with Ugu buses which pick up passengers in their area. They claim that because the buses are cheaper than taxis people prefer using the buses.
On Friday angry taxi drivers stopped all the buses at Greenside in Oshabeni and forced them to offload the passengers and told the bus drivers not to pick up passengers from their area.
“Taxi fare is R12 from Oshabeni to Port Shepstone, the bus fare is only R8.50. People are left with no choice but to take the bus because it’s cheaper,” said a concerned commuter.
“There is only one solution to this problem: the taxi owners need to reduce their prices so that passengers will use taxis,” he added.
The Oshabeni Taxi Association chairman confirmed that taxi drivers had stopped Ugu buses from picking up passengers in Oshabeni.
“Some of the buses are not even from this area but are from KwaDweshula. They pass through Oshabeni picking up our passengers,” he explained.
Police spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Zandra Wiid also confirmed that there was tension in Oshabeni.
“It is believed that taxis blocked the road to prevent buses from going through. However police were deployed and the road was cleared. The situation is being monitored,” she said.
