Fuel hike to cover petrol attendant wages

THE price of 93 and 95 octane petrol increased by 67 cents a litre and diesel by 44 cents at midnight on Tuesday.

The Energy Department said the increase was necessary to cater for wages of petrol attendants, cashiers and administrative staff at service stations.

The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) also mentioned a possible taxi fare increase between R1 and R5 per journey, depending on the region, as a result of the fuel hike.

As cited by BusinessTech, Santaco spokesperson Thabisho Molelekwa told the media: ‘We all know that the economy is struggling, which increases the pressure on all fronts for taxi operators.

‘Taxi operators need to navigate increased fuel prices, maintenance costs and paying vehicle installments while keeping prices affordable.

‘We are proud of the fact that the industry has survived storms in the past, and we are confident that we’ll be able to

survive this storm as well.

‘We trust there will be some relief soon’, Molelekwa said. The weakening rand against the dollar also contributed to the hike, with the Department’s Robert Maake saying,‘The only advice we always give is that you need to plan your trip and save fuel as much as you can’ ‘You can’t just drive around, you need to plan and use lift clubs among others.’

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