The Rep 27 November 2020

THE REPRESENTATIVE 27 November 2020 Tel: (045) 839-4040 / editorial: mjekulal@therep.co.za / advertising: charodinev@therep.co.za 9
New strategy to help taxi drivers
: Changes in operating hours
bring benefits for everyone
ABONGILE
S O L U N D WA N A
The new operating hours
introduced by
Queenstown Uncedo
Service Taxi Association (Qusta)
in Ezibeleni this month are
yielding positive results after 74
taxis were repossessed due to
the over-saturated local market.
The rank operating hours
have changed from 9am and
now extend from to 6am to
7pm, Mondays to Fridays and
from 5am to 4pm on Saturdays.
Qusta chair Sandi Mgobo
said the dwindling number of
trips per day had resulted in
financial constraints which
made taxi owners incapable of
paying the monthly instalments.
The issue prompted Mgobo
to conduct an investigation into
the sector before coming up
with a turnaround plan with his
executive to save more transport
businesses from fading away,
leaving many families without
an income.
He said before the local taxi
industry became saturated, a
taxi driver made at least R800
per day. This, he said, drew
more people who viewed the
transport sector as a way to
make money. “Those who had
retired began to join the taxi
business. We also created space
for those who were drivers for
more than 10 years who had
saved up to buy their own taxis
to join the business.”
According to Mgobo the
impact of increased numbers of
vehicles began to become
evident about 10 years ago. This
led to the establishment of the
current taxi rank in the
township. He said before the
new operating times were
introduced, taxi operators
picked up passengers as they
pleased, until 9am.
“This was a waste of petrol
because a taxi would have to
take five passengers to town and
return without generating the
required amount to make a
p r o f i t ,” he said.
Mgobo said other taxi
associations and stakeholders
were consulted before the
operating schedules were
amended.
“With this new system,
drivers are now able get at least
four to five trips per day. Before
they would get one or two per
day while others went home
without a single trip, making it
impossible for them to pay their
OPERATION PROGRESS: Queenstown Uncedo Service Taxi Association’s new operating hours are bringing positive results to
Ezibeleni taxi rank, as evidenced by commuter Portia Mabengwana, pictured here with taxi driver Nkosinathi Mba
Picture: ZINTLE BOBELO
instalm ents.”
Mgobo said people were
starting to commend the
changes, which they saw were
making a difference.
With the new system he said
problems like drivers dicing to
get to passengers first were to
end, along with those who were
eager to keep passengers by
buying them a packet of chips.
“Ezibeleni has young drivers
who were prioritised to curb
unemployment, but they were
under enormous pressure to
meet the targets set by taxi
owners. I could see it would
lead to a tragic accident one
day. The speeding made
passengers uncomfortable.”
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