The Taxi Industry Cannot Modernise Without Trust
South Africa does not have a taxi problem. It has a trust problem sitting inside a transport system it cannot live without.
That distinction matters.
The taxi industry is not some fringe player moving around the edges of the economy. It is the everyday transport system for millions of people. It carries workers, learners, parents, traders, domestic workers, security guards, students and job seekers. It is stitched into the rhythm of South African life.
And yet, for many commuters, that dependence comes with discomfort. People rely on taxis, but do not always feel respected by them. They need the service, but fear the violence that surrounds parts of the industry. They use the system daily, while questioning whether anyone is truly accountable when things go wrong.
That contradiction sits at the heart of Nkepile Mabuse’s CheckPoint conversation with SANTACO President Motlhabane Abnar Tsebe.
The future Tsebe describes sounds like a transport industry trying to step into a different era. Cashless payments. Driver registration. Labour rights. Tax clearance. Corporatisation. Customer care. Digital systems. Engagement with Uber and other platforms. Training for drivers and owners.
On paper, these are the right words.
But modernisation is not only about technology. A taxi becoming cashless does not automatically make the industry trustworthy. A digital payment system does not fix violence. A corporate structure does not rebuild commuter confidence on its own. A promise to train drivers only matters if commuters feel the difference on the road.
That is why trust must be treated as infrastructure.
South Africa often thinks of infrastructure as roads, rail, stations, vehicles and payment systems. But trust is also infrastructure. It is what allows a commuter to get into a vehicle without feeling exposed. It is what allows competition to exist without intimidation. It is what allows regulation to work because rules are enforced, not negotiated away.
When Nkepile puts the industry’s violent reputation directly to Tsebe, the conversation becomes bigger than taxis. It becomes a test of institutional maturity.
Tsebe says SANTACO does not represent criminals. That is an important line. But the stronger moment is when he acknowledges that violence has happened in the industry’s name and that impunity allows it to continue.
That is where any serious reform must begin.
The public does not only want statements distancing leaders from criminals. The public wants consequences. If members are linked to violence, do they lose standing? If drivers abuse commuters, do they face action? If operators evade regulation, does anything happen? If associations resist reform, who has the authority to force change?
A modern industry cannot be built on selective accountability.
The same applies to tax. Nkepile raises OUTA’s estimate that the taxi industry could contribute billions to the fiscus if properly taxed and regulated. Tsebe’s answer is that corporatisation is the route to control. He argues that individual operators are difficult to manage at scale, and that proper structures are needed to bring compliance into the system.
That may be true. But it also reveals the scale of the challenge.
The taxi industry has long operated in a space between formal and informal power. It is powerful enough to shape transport behaviour, but often informal enough to avoid the standards applied to other industries. It is essential enough that the state must engage it, but fragmented enough that accountability becomes difficult.
That middle space cannot hold forever.
Competition is already forcing the issue. Uber, scooters, delivery platforms, cashless behaviour and shifting commuter expectations are all signs that the public transport market is changing. Tsebe appears to understand this when he says the industry cannot simply fight competitors. If it refuses to adapt, commuters will move on.
That is the quiet threat under the whole conversation.
People may depend on taxis today, but dependence is not the same as loyalty. The moment commuters are given safer, cleaner, more predictable alternatives, trust will become the industry’s real currency.
This is why the apology to commuters matters.
Tsebe admits that customers are not always treated well. He says SANTACO is working on training, driver behaviour and customer care. The apology is not enough on its own, but it is a public acknowledgement of a wound many commuters know personally.
South Africa’s taxi industry was built through necessity. It grew because formal transport systems failed to serve everyone. But survival is not the same as legitimacy.
The next phase of the taxi industry will not be won by size alone. It will be won by whether commuters can see and feel a different standard.
Cashless payments may modernise the fare.
Corporatisation may modernise the structure.
But only accountability can modernise the relationship between the taxi industry and the people who keep it alive.
Until then, the real question is not whether taxis can go digital.
It is whether they can become trustworthy.
Catch up on all CheckPoint Podcast episodes here: https://www.enca.com/checkpoint-podcast-0