Tunatazama - Community Monitors

How Corona Virus affects the life of a taxi driver

27-05-2020
Protea Glen Soweto
Rapule Moiloa

Talking to a taxi driver in Protea Glen how corona virus has affected him and the first thing he said was where is these coming from is it something that will last and for how with a sad face these are the questions he was asking himself, he said that these corona thing is a show stopper because he has been out of work days these has stopped all the plans he had he mentioned that these situation has manhandled everything in his life and other things, the second question i asked was how is it affecting him now with regard to few passengers that he transport from the moment he starts working.

He said that it’s not easy to take about 10 passengers a trip money wise it’s not enough as he used to make before the pandemic and part of the day is spend either sleeping or doing nothing due to the virus. Taxi industry has suffered when lock down was announcement and still suffering because I’m trying to recover as well as the taxi industry and looking at long distance taxi they too are suffering corona came unexpected stopped everything then changed life’s within a blink of an eye.

My brother had a good job providing for his family, paying his bond regularly on time he was not worried about many things while he was working then corona came the company announced job cuts unfortunately he was on the list of the people who will retrenched. He said that these is a new life new situation it’s a re-start button for a new life style even so he said that he and his brother bought a taxi but still fixing so that his brother can start working at least to provide for his wife and kids rather than waiting for food parcels and the taxi will transport company.