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Johannesburg - Meter taxi drivers operating between OR Tambo
International Airport in Kempton Park and Sandton were still smarting
after 2010 FIFA World Cup tourists opted for the faster, modern
Gautrain.
With their hopes of making a killing during the World Cup dashed, meter taxi drivers now face the reality that the Gautrain has fundamentally changed travel for good on this route.
The Gautrain has transported 400 000 people since it launched in June, some of whom just wanted to experience this mode of transport.
Meter taxis charge up to R500 for a single trip on this route, while the journey costs R100 on the Gautrain.
"We, as microbusinesses, have been affected a lot as it now takes longer for our taxis to get commuters," said Hendrik Mphela, chairperson of Ekurhuleni Meter Taxi Council and Oriata, a taxi association operating at the airport.
A meter taxi driver who preferred to remain anonymous said he had seen his earnings halve in the month the Gautrain had been operating. "Before the Gautrain, I used to make five daily trips to Sandton, but now I celebrate if I manage to make three trips."
The Gautrain service runs from 5.30am until 8.30pm daily.
"Demand for taxis starts increasing after the Gautrain stops operating in the evening until around midnight," the anonymous driver said.
Bombela buses unfair
Mphela said though meter taxis could not do much to compete with the Gautrain, it would have been better had taxi associations been given a tender to transport commuters to the stations. Commuters are currently being transported by the buses run by Bombela Operating Company, operators of the Gautrain.
These buses operate within a 15km radius of the stations and the taxi drivers say they should be stopped so that they can take over the routes.
Mphela said: "The Gautrain officials knew their services would have an impact on the taxi industry, but they failed to consult us to develop a plan that would see us sustain business."
Speaking to City Press, Mphela said he met with the Gautrain officials on June 7 - a day before the train service was launched - to complain about how it was going to derail the taxi industry.
"I proposed at the meeting that we should be given the feeder tender to transport commuters to the stations, but the officials have not given me feedback on the matter," said Mphela.
Barbara Jensen, spokesperson for Bombela, said the affected meter taxi operator representatives in the Alexandra area had agreed to the setting up of a company that to provide feeder services to the Marlboro station.
"Furthermore, meter taxi operators have already been accredited and are operating from the Gautrain station in Sandton," said Jensen.
However, Sifiso Molotshwa, a meter taxi operator in Sandton, disagreed. "These Gautrain buses are killing us because people who catch flights used to use our services, but now everyone ends up on the Gautrain buses because they are cheaper."
The Gautrain buses are subsidised by the government.
A single ticket for a Gautrain bus to a Gautrain station costs R6, but this only applies to a passenger who is also going to catch the train. Commuters pay R20 in between stations if they are not going to take the train.
- City Press
With their hopes of making a killing during the World Cup dashed, meter taxi drivers now face the reality that the Gautrain has fundamentally changed travel for good on this route.
The Gautrain has transported 400 000 people since it launched in June, some of whom just wanted to experience this mode of transport.
Meter taxis charge up to R500 for a single trip on this route, while the journey costs R100 on the Gautrain.
"We, as microbusinesses, have been affected a lot as it now takes longer for our taxis to get commuters," said Hendrik Mphela, chairperson of Ekurhuleni Meter Taxi Council and Oriata, a taxi association operating at the airport.
A meter taxi driver who preferred to remain anonymous said he had seen his earnings halve in the month the Gautrain had been operating. "Before the Gautrain, I used to make five daily trips to Sandton, but now I celebrate if I manage to make three trips."
The Gautrain service runs from 5.30am until 8.30pm daily.
"Demand for taxis starts increasing after the Gautrain stops operating in the evening until around midnight," the anonymous driver said.
Bombela buses unfair
Mphela said though meter taxis could not do much to compete with the Gautrain, it would have been better had taxi associations been given a tender to transport commuters to the stations. Commuters are currently being transported by the buses run by Bombela Operating Company, operators of the Gautrain.
These buses operate within a 15km radius of the stations and the taxi drivers say they should be stopped so that they can take over the routes.
Mphela said: "The Gautrain officials knew their services would have an impact on the taxi industry, but they failed to consult us to develop a plan that would see us sustain business."
Speaking to City Press, Mphela said he met with the Gautrain officials on June 7 - a day before the train service was launched - to complain about how it was going to derail the taxi industry.
"I proposed at the meeting that we should be given the feeder tender to transport commuters to the stations, but the officials have not given me feedback on the matter," said Mphela.
Barbara Jensen, spokesperson for Bombela, said the affected meter taxi operator representatives in the Alexandra area had agreed to the setting up of a company that to provide feeder services to the Marlboro station.
"Furthermore, meter taxi operators have already been accredited and are operating from the Gautrain station in Sandton," said Jensen.
However, Sifiso Molotshwa, a meter taxi operator in Sandton, disagreed. "These Gautrain buses are killing us because people who catch flights used to use our services, but now everyone ends up on the Gautrain buses because they are cheaper."
The Gautrain buses are subsidised by the government.
A single ticket for a Gautrain bus to a Gautrain station costs R6, but this only applies to a passenger who is also going to catch the train. Commuters pay R20 in between stations if they are not going to take the train.
- City Press
