Residents of Mangaung are distraught by more financial implications, as the taxi fare is anticipated to increase at the end of the month. The Taxi Association in Bloemfontein announced that the taxi fare will increase by R1 and R2, depending on the area that the passenger will be travelling to.
Commuters travelling around various suburbs will now be expected to pay R13, while those travelling to Woodlands will be expected to pay R14. This will be effective from 31 January 2022, after commuters have been paying R12 for some time.
One of the residents in Bloemfontein David Mangate, who resides in Phase 6, says that the taxi fare increase will place a burden on residents, especially now that most people have lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He says that most commuters will now opt for other means of transport, such as buses, because it will be cheaper for them. Some commuters have called for salary increases as they see the intended taxi fare increase as a further burden.
They said they are already struggling to survive with the little they earn, while prices of food, clothes, electricity and water, amongst others, keep increasing. While most commuters stress about the taxi fare increase, others say they saw it coming due to the recent petrol price hikes and the effect the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the economy.
OFM News’ Lucky Nkuyane previously reported that hard times lie ahead for Central South African commuters using the South African Taxi Council’s (Santaco) minibus taxis as their mode of transport.
Santaco released a statement on Twitter, indicating how its fare hike will affect commuters in the Free State, Northern Cape and North West last year. It had indicated that the price hikes in the Free State should be expected soon. The country’s biggest taxi organisation, which claims to ferry about 65% of the country’s population every day, had also increased long-distance fares by 10% in the Free State on 1 July 2020.
The local commuters will now have to make provisions for the expected increase in their already tight budget as most have had to spend more money in recent months due to the effects of the pandemic, amongst others.
Kekeletso Mosebetsi
kekeletso@centralmediagroup.co.za
