Taxi industry feels the pinch of the lockdown
“Business is no longer the same. We are just fighting to buy food.”
Taxi drivers have voiced their concerns about the effects of the lockdown on their businesses, as the number of passengers per load reduced from 16 to 7.
According to Sanele Ndlovu, a taxi driver who transports passengers from Winnie Mandela to Kempton Park, the drivers have been breathing through the wound and the regulations have been suffocating their business.
“The load of people has decreased drastically from a 16-seater taxi we only take 7 people, that is half of the normal load and half the normal amount we used to get per load,” Ndlovu said.
He added that under normal circumstance, they would have more loads in a day than they get now in a week.
“One is lucky to get a morning load now, we have to wake up as early as 4am and get to the taxi rank early to guarantee a load of the essential workers who are going to work.
“People’s movements are restricted, so it becomes a waste of petrol to transport three people who waited almost an hour already in your taxi while you wait for a full load.
“Police monitor our loads on the road, so we cannot cheat or we will be on the serious side of the law.”
Though business is deeply affected, this particular taxi driver said he understood the measures the government had to take to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
“We have hand sanitisers of our own to wash our hands as well as our customers’ too. At least other customers carry theirs with them,” said Ndlovu.
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