Traffic came to a standstill along Albert Wessels Road on Thursday, July 26. Over 1000 taxi drivers and taxi owners uniting in a common cause.
“We are here about the buses operating in town. We don’t want them, as they are affecting our business,” claims one taxi owner.
Opting to remain anonymous, the owner of a taxi claims, the income of taxi owners has dropped significantly because of Transnat’s buses. “We used to make an average of R700 a day. Now, we make about R250. We are battling to pay the installments of our vehicles; the petrol price keeps rising and the buses can make their prices cheap. We are here because we want to survive.”
Taxi owners and drivers have set up a task team regarding the buses. Russell Zulu, the secretary of the task team, explains the biggest issue they have with the buses is the number of them operating and how they conduct business.
“There should be 76 buses, but there are double the number in town. Their schedule is also a problem, as they are operating like taxis. A person just needs to put their finger up and they stop.”
The pricing of transport offered by buses, along with the amount of people the vehicles can carry, is another issue. “The average bus can take over 60 people. Now, they are also using train buses which can take much more people,” claims David Ncala, a member of the task team.
Driving in convoy to Transnat in Gutenberg Street, the protestors handed over a memorandum to Transnat management. The memorandum focuses on addressing issues impacting the taxi industry. “They have 48 hours to respond,” claims Ncala.
Transnat Coach Line was contacted for comment. However, it is unable to give an official statement at present. According to a management official, the memorandum needs to go through the necessary channels. “We are also still busy with negotiations. Once everything is handled, we will go public with an official statement,” he concludes.
Also read: No need to fear Newcastle, according to SAPS no taxi strike for us
