Transport minister wants to use taxpayer money to transition South Africa’s taxi industry to electric vehicles

Scooby_Doo said:
Oh yeah, sure - so we need 3000 plugs installed first.

Edit,

Let me guess, government is going to pay for that too. Then subsidise the power to convince them. They are private owners paying no tax. There needs to be change in that arrangement first.
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The current EV charging networks we have in this country are all private sector (minus the joke that is Eskom's attempts).
And some are profitable.
https://techcentral.co.za/rubicon-ev-charging-network-profitable/285913/

So I think those guys could find the money quite easily to get a charger installed at a taxi rank, if there was the demand.

I think the taxi industry is an easy one to electrify because it follows fairly fixed routes with large hubs already. It. is the same for the logistics sector.
 
konfab said:
The current EV charging networks we have in this country are all private sector (minus the joke that is Eskom's attempts).
And some are profitable.
https://techcentral.co.za/rubicon-ev-charging-network-profitable/285913/

So I think those guys could find the money quite easily to get a charger installed at a taxi rank, if there was the demand.

I think the taxi industry is an easy one to electrify because it follows fairly fixed routes with large hubs already. It. is the same for the logistics sector.
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Separating the argument of is it possible to electrify them and if that is a good thing - Yes I agree its possible and has benefits.

The point I am making I am tired of throwing money at everyone in this country and yet I get next to nothing. The lest that can happen here is the taxi's should be brought into the tax net and must pay tax - otherwise they are skipping even the fuel levy via using electricity.
 
We already fund taxi ranks for the taxi industry
75% of our RAF money is spent on accidents caused by the taxi industry
We sell them a license for R3000 for a route, but if we want to run a bus service instead, we have to buy that license back at upto R20 million.

South Africa’s taxi industry is widely described as operating in a mafia‑like manner, with entrenched associations using violence, intimidation, and political influence to control routes and suppress competition. It is not the only organized crime‑linked sector, but it is arguably the most visible and socially disruptive.

1.​

  • Taxi wars have claimed thousands of lives since the 1980s, with assassinations, shootings, and arson used to enforce territorial monopolies.
  • Studies estimate that up to 40% of assassinations in South Africa are linked to taxi rivalries.
  • Long‑distance bus operators like Intercape have faced repeated intimidation and attacks when competing with taxi routes.

2.​

  • Taxi associations enforce exclusive control over profitable routes, often through violence rather than legal regulation.
  • Operators must pay “protection” fees or risk being driven out.
  • This mirrors mafia racketeering, where control of territory is maintained through coercion.

3.​

  • Taxi bosses have historically wielded political influence, funding campaigns or leveraging connections to avoid prosecution.
  • Reports suggest some taxi leaders have been used as political enforcers or hitmen, especially in KwaZulu‑Natal and Gauteng.
  • Weak regulation and corruption within law enforcement make policing taxi violence extremely difficult.
 
Ban minibus taxis, problem solved. Make dbn mynah bus great again. Maybe they will actually use the BRT bus lanes they built 10 years ago.
 
GFY you silly B! I am retired and still pay taxes without getting anything back from guvmunt! I don't qualify for a pension grant, I cannot and will not use state health, don;t have effective policing, decent roads and road markings locally and national, don;t have functional traffic lights, etc. etc.......

By the way, how many taxi organisations pay taxes? I bet you they don't! So, Mrs smartass, before you want to spend my tax contributions on Sh**, please address the other more pressing issues!! Once again GFY!!!!!!
 
lkswan747 said:
GFY you silly B! I am retired and still pay taxes without getting anything back from guvmunt! I don't qualify for a pension grant, I cannot and will not use state health, don;t have effective policing, decent roads and road markings locally and national, don;t have functional traffic lights, etc. etc.......

By the way, how many taxi organisations pay taxes? I bet you they don't! So, Mrs smartass, before you want to spend my tax contributions on Sh**, please address the other more pressing issues!! Once again GFY!!!!!!
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Why aren't you tax boycotting?
 
ISP cash cow said:
if setting up charging ports in the Taxi's you will start having taxi warfare not over routes but over who gets to charge their EV's first and also how long will the charging ports be up before someone starts stealing the components from it.
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For sure... Those charging stations will be mysteriously catching fire left right and centre....
 
konfab said:
The program basically works by incentivising taxi owners and operators to scrap their existing taxis to buy new ones that are going to be safer and in better condition. They get about R170k per taxi.
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and it already doesn't work, that's where all the Quantums came from to replace all the old Hiaces ... buys marginallly better vehicles for a year or so, then back to square one

konfab said:
2) The EV infrastructure business gets a supercharger on top of the Iran and Ukraine war turbo chargers. This makes EVs more viable for everyone. Including freight and passenger cars.
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there's already plenty of illegal Eskom connections in every township, these okes won't be paying a cent to charge their subsidised EV taxis using proper infrastructure

konfab said:
4) It doesn't cost any new additional taxes.
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additional illegal Eskom connections are essentially additional taxes

not to mention the increased violence when the battery goes dead and all the driver has is a trusty AK-47 while waiting for the next rival to pass by with a fully charged battery ...
 
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