Unregistered taxi drivers reject ‘selective’ fare hike

Unregistered taxi drivers at Nkurenkuru have rejected a fare increase limited to registered operators.

They have told the Namibia Public Passenger Transport Association (NPPTA) that poor roads and delayed permits are pushing them into informal work.

During a meeting held at the town in the Kavango West region on Sunday, Fernando Simunga, representing the association, said formal taxis in the region declined after 2020 because of bad infrastructure and delays in the licensing system.

“The road infrastructure is very bad.

That’s one reason why most of the legal or formal buses are not operating any more,” he said.

Simunga said additionally, permits have expired and applicants have been waiting for documents for lengthy periods of time.

He said the association is trying to reduce illegal, unregulated transport activity without depriving people of their livelihoods.

“Specifically, by registering informal operators as members, the association can supervise them rather than push them out into fully illegal operations,” he said.

Simunga said taxis must have passengers-and-goods licences so that commuters can be assisted properly after accidents or road incidents.

“Any trip under the local authority boundary should be counted at N$13, with the current price moving to N$15, and trips beyond town are charged double if the drivers are out from their route,” he said regarding fares.

Nkurenkuru currently has 34 legal taxis operating and 27 illegal operators, all trying to survive in the same small market, he said.

Registered taxi driver Severinus Haimbanga says legal operators are losing customers to cheaper informal cars.

“They have been saying N$13 is too much already, because they’re paying informal cars only N$10.

What will happen when the fare increases to N$15? Will we make enough?” he asks.

Haimbanga says lost property is hard to trace when vehicles are unregistered.

Unregistered taxi driver Moses Kandjimi says cars fail roadworthy tests because of the poor gravel roads to settlements.

“Our cars won’t pass the roadworthy test, unless they fix the road,” he says.

Kandjimi says drivers are “suffering with the roads, tyres and dust”, and that a fare increase for registered taxis only is unfair “when we are using the same amount of petrol”.

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