When toll-gate fees increase on Friday, 1 March, this will not only be a blow to motorists but also to the taxi drivers who must absorb the additional costs. A trip from Musina to Pretoria and back will now cost R666 in toll fees, which is R40 more than before.
South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL)'s general manager for communications and marketing, Mr Vusi Mona, said that the increase in toll fees resulted from the prevailing economic conditions in the country. "Toll revenue is necessary to maintain, operate, and improve toll roads, as well as to service debt incurred to implement a toll road project. The funds go a long way towards ensuring that SANRAL fulfils its mandate of delivering quality road infrastructure that adds value to the lives of South African citizens," said Mona.
All these words mean very little, however, to the taxi drivers who are already under immense pressure to make ends meet. "We really would like to increase our fares from Louis Trichardt to Pretoria, but we are not allowed. Fare increases are only implemented once approved by the South African National Taxi Council. The government does not offer us any form of subsidy, making our business very vulnerable," said a taxi driver who drives from Louis Trichardt to Pretoria and back every day.
The trip to the big city means that this driver must pass through five tollgates and fork out R276. From Friday, the trip to Pretoria and back will cost him R33 more. He charges customers R350 for a one-way trip, and under ideal circumstances, he can transport 15 passengers. Some of them, however, disembark earlier, and he is not guaranteed to have a full load coming back. The long and short of it is that he must prepare for an almost 1% loss in profit.
Thomas Ludere, the deputy chairperson of the Makhado Long Distance Association (MALTA), said that since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic had struck, business had been very low. "This latest increase is killing our business more," he said.
Some of the MALTA taxis focus on the route between Louis Trichardt and Polokwane, which means they only pass through the Capricorn tollgate. The tariff for taxis at this tollgate used to be R55.50 but will now increase to R59.00. On average, passengers pay R90 for a single trip to Polokwane. "We really are not running a profitable business under such conditions," Ludere said.