Scope
Taxi industry represents an industry in which employers and employees are associated for the purposes of transporting passengers by road for reward in vehicles other than buses. The sub sector includes
mini bus taxis, metered taxis, scholar transport, shuttle services and chauffeur drivers.
Background
The taxi industry accounts for 65 percent of all public transport while buses and trains account for 21 and 14 percent respectively. The department of transport estimates that there are over 120 000 minibus taxis on the road (based on the number of taxi permits it has issued), while industry organizations estimate that there are between 150 000 and 200 000 taxis as at 2006.
The industry has created hundreds of thousands of jobs: drivers, rank marshals, fare collectors, administrators – the list goes on.
About 185 000 people work in the minibus taxi industry in South Africa. These workers provide the main form of public transport in the country. The largest group of workers is drivers. In addition to drivers, there are queue marshals, car washers and administrative workers. In some parts of the country there are also fare collectors. About 95% of workers in the taxi industry are African. Less than 2% are women. Many of the women do administrative work for the taxi associations. Very few drivers are self-employed. Most work for a taxi owner and are paid wages. However, very few taxi owners have a formal written contract of employment (International Labour Organization 2003, second impression 2004).
Governance
The newly appointed Board is still to constitute Chamber management committees in terms of provision of in the Skills Development Act and the new TETA Constitution.
The previous Management Committee comprised of representatives from South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO), South African Meter Taxi Association (SAMTA), South African Transport Allied Workers Union (SATAWU), Provincial Department of Transport officials and representatives from the National Department of Transport.
Watch the space for the composition of the new Management Committee to take us through National Development Strategy III.
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