Zorena Jantze
MANY Namibians have expressed outrage over the arbitrary increase of taxi fares to N$14 without any official communique from the government.
Some taxi drivers demand being paid N$14 by customers as they cannot load their cars to full capacity due to stricter public health regulations on the back of COVID-19.
The president of the Namibia Transport and Taxi Union, Werner Januarie noted that there has been no increase in taxi fares and commuters should still pay the normal N$12 fee.
Januarie however noted that he is in the process of drafting a letter to the Ministry of Works and Transport.
“Since they have restricted taxis to three passengers, they should increase the fee to N$14. We have to recover costs somehow,” Januarie said.
He further called on other drivers who are permit holders to join him in submitting a document to the ministry.
“We do not need to write a multitude of letters, but we can all come together and write something. When the government makes serious decisions like this, it should be to the benefit of all parties. They have limited sitting capacity in public transport, however, they did not consider the losses these drivers sustain,” Januarie said.
