Is the taxi industry justified in flouting restrictions that hurt them?

Taxis parked outside Bree Taxi rank in Johannesburg, 22 June 2020, on government's R1.135 billion relief fund announced on Friday. Picture: Nigel Sibanda

Add to that the margins. I find it difficult to believe that taxi operators function on razor-thin margins so taking a hit in the margin could still see one being profitable assuming the margins were wide enough to begin with. Flouting laws is nothing new. The fight against apartheid required it. The fight for transformation required it. The fight to liberate oneself from lockdown limitations will no doubt require it, so when could one justifiably apply some anarchy?

Further, the government has not exactly being forthcoming with the rationale of their operation and what it is based on. Realistically, they’re pretty much simply demanding of us that we abide. Added to that, the constant mixed messaging seems to delegitimise government regulations. There is a third actor in this play. Millions of them in fact. They are the ones who make use of the taxi services, and it appears that they have been neglected.

Should the industry be deemed to be unsafe, as the safety drops, so too will the people using it, which would mean that either the industry loses support or profits off the desperation of those yearning to eke out an income. Either way, it’s rather macabre.

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