The impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the taxi industry in South Africa.

Abstract

The overriding purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) on the South African Taxi Industry. The study draws on a statistical model that put into account the socioeconomic and/or sociodemographic framework of the taxi industry in the country. As such, the study adopted an explorative quantitatve research approach for collecting and analysing the collated data. The use of an explanatory research approach allows the researcher to provide an in-depth evaluation, investigation, understanding and insight analysis about the impact of the Covid-19 on the industry and the current state of the industry postpandemic. Consequently, a survey research design was used to enrolled 152 participants to participate in the study. The findings of this study demonstrated how the pandemic exposed the precarious working conditions faced by taxi drivers and taxi marshals. The phenomenon is not new, but for the first time in the speculation of this phenomenon, the current study was able to quantify the extend this phenomenon has on rank marshals and taxi drivers. For example, the descriptive analysis of this study revealed that most of the respondents (92.8%) reported that the taxi industry experienced loss of income during the heat of the pandemic. As for job insecurity being elevated during the pandemic, the results showed that (38.8%) of respondents were neutral about their responses, but (38.8%) were equally in agreement that it was elevated. Despite the descriptive results indicating that many of participants (71%) did not lose their jobs during the pandemic, the analysis revealed that the majority (57.2%) feared losing their businesses and/or jobs during the pandemic. In addition, there was agreement among most respondents (91.5%) that the pandemic resulted in a loss of taxi drivers and operators. Unfortunately, taxi owners and taxi drivers have a long history of exploitative labour arrangements in South Africa's minibus taxi industry, which seems to maximize profits at all costs for taxi owners at the detriment of the rank marshals who are at the lowest rank of the food chain followed by taxi drivers. A lack of formal work contracts was one of the primary reasons for this. Since minibus taxis operate in the informal sector and do not receive subsidies, it is not possible to implement subsidies within the industry without an accounting system.