The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) says it won’t increase the taxi fares just yet.
Santaco Spokesperson, Thabiso Molelekwa, however, says a hike is likely in the near future.
He says financial losses incurred by the industry during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic may necessitate a significant price increase in taxi fares.
He elaborates on his views in the podcast below:
Santaco’s remarks come after record fuel price increases in the country kicked in on Wednesday, with the price of 95 Octane petrol going up by R1 per litre and 93 Octane by 95 cents per litre.
Petrol now costs a record high of about R17 per litre in South Africa. Diesel is up by between 63 and 65 cents per litre, while illuminating paraffin has increased by 34 cents per litre, pushing it up to R8.80.
The 27 cents fuel levy, announced by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni in March, also came into effect this month, raising fears of taxi fare and food prices increases.
Motorists react to the fuel price hike:
