DURBAN - The taxi industry will never be the same again. Those were the sentiments of Durban taxi owner, Shan Naidoo.
Naidoo, a taxi owner for almost two decades says he and many other owners are starting to feel the economic pressure resulting from the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Chatsworth taxi boss says that limited operations during the lockdown has resulted in minimal income.
“In the last three weeks, only two of my six drivers worked. The others were at home with no income. They are only giving us a chance from 6 am to 10 am to do a few loads and then in the afternoon we get to run from 4 pm to 6 pm,” added Naidoo.
Overwhelmed by uncertainty, Naidoo the breadwinner for his family also has employees that depend on him for an income. “All six of my drivers are at home, I rotate them to give each one a chance to make some money. We make less than half of what we usually make but what can we do,” said Shan.
While most businesses face the reality of never opening their doors again, Naidoo says that the taxi industry will never be the same.
“There's around 600 taxis in Chatsworth but the government is only allowing around 100 to still operate during the lock-down. After the lock-down, the taxi business will not be the same because the amount of people travelling will be less, the amount of people going to town will be less. Half of our passengers have already mentioned that they may not have a job anymore. So we will only fully understand the impact after the lockdown ends,” added Naidoo.
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