Taxi fare increase by R5 for Gauteng commuters as the fuel prices reaches record high

Gauteng commuters have to dig deep into their pockets as the taxi fare has increased by a record high R5, following the fuel price increase which came into effect from Wednesday.

Taxi drivers have agreed to set their prices up to R5 more for each trip, following the rise in fuel prices in the country. The July has now tipped the cost of petrol to more than R25 per litre. In the beginning of the year, South Africans were paying R19.71 for 95 unleaded petrol, and now for the same petrol costs R26.31.

In May, Bafana Magagula, the chief strategic manager of the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) said the taxi industry had no choice but to increase fares and the fuel prices have reached a record high.

“To be very honest with everyone, I think if South Africans are honest to the situation, they will understand that the taxi industry has taken a knock for too long now and it’s unable to continue taking the knock,” Magagula said at the time.

In some of the surrounding areas in Gauteng the R5 increase was implemented from 1 July 2022, however, some areas are still lenient and have decided to implement the increase from July 8 and others on July 15.

Most taxi fares have increased by R2 for local trips while longer trips have increased by R5.

Doctor Mahlaule

Doctor Mahlaule previously worked as a Freelance Journalist at Find-it SA where he was responsible for writing news articles and sharing them on social media platforms. Doctor Mahlaule holds a Diploma in Journalism, BA in Communication Science and a BA Honours in Media Studies. Doctor began his journey as a knowledge Management and Communications Intern at Zenex Foundation. He was responsible for support in event management, social media, website maintenance, writing and brand management. On weekends Doctor attends prison ministry and shares the scriptures with inmates at Krugersdorp prison and plays soccer in the afternoon on some weekends. He has a passion for reading and writing and enjoys going out with friends and socialising in his spare time. He has a one-year-old son and is planning on getting married soon. When asked about what keeps him going, he said: “My family keeps me going. I’m the man I am because I come from a loving home. I have a very supportive family who always encourages me to keep pushing hard.”

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