The president of the New Alliance of Taxi Drivers Association (ANATA), Francisco Patient, said, last weekend, in Luanda, that the increase in taxi fare prices will be irreversible, as soon as the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy for this taxi is implemented. class. However, he calmed the citizens by denying that the price would reach 600 kwanzas, as speculated
After the publication of Presidential Decree 68/24 of March 7th of this year, which approves the withdrawal of subsidies from fuel cards, until April 30th, the Associação Nova Aliança dos Taxistas de Angola (ANATA) met at the last weekend, to clarify the supposed increase in taxi prices.
The president of the aforementioned association, Francisco Paciente, said it is not true that there is currently a price increase, because the organization he heads is waiting until the decree comes into force. However, he clarifies that, with the withdrawal of the subsidy, they will be able to see an increase in taxi prices, but it will not cost 600 kwanzas, as speculated. “It is worth saying that the increase in taxi prices will be irreversible, because the current price, of 150 kwanzas, approved by decree, is no longer adequate to the operating costs of the vehicles that exist on the market”, he maintains.
Another concern, and no less important, concerns the routes in the city of Luanda, as there are records of complaints about narrowing of routes, which also results from the lack of updating of routes in the capital. “We presented our mapping, we were also guided by the Provincial Government to add more routes and define the beginning and end of each route, so that taxi drivers can effectively have an updated route in the coming days”, he said.
With the emergence of new neighborhoods in the province of Luanda, there was a need for taxi drivers to adapt the transport system to those areas, which are often difficult to access, through prior negotiation between these professionals and passengers.
Economic and social situation of taxi drivers records decline
Furthermore, taxi drivers recognize that taxi activity has seen a sharp drop in production over the last ten years, from 460 dollars/day to 60 dollars per day. According to the source, the issue is the lack of taxi transport on the roads, because taxis are going bankrupt every day, due to a lack of support from banks, public and private institutions to stay afloat. Francisco Paciente said that from 2014 to 2024, taxi activity recorded a sharp drop of around 700 percent. “Taxi drivers have become much poorer in the last ten years, not to mention the worsening of the situation resulting from the withdrawal of fuel subsidies”, he said.
The young man, who leads over 30 thousand associates in twelve provinces of the country, made it known that, in 2014, taxi drivers had an average gross production of 46 thousand kwanzas per day, the equivalent of 460 dollars, at the time, with an exchange rate of 10 thousand kwanzas. Currently, the average production is 52 thousand kwanzas per day, for a hiace known as square. With the rise of the dollar, the situation appears to be decadent. As it is one of the transport subsectors, ANATA continues to argue that taxi drivers also deserve to be welcomed by banks, public and private institutions, among others, in order to provide credit.