Taxi industry embraces cashless future despite critisicm

The South African National Taxi Council in Gauteng (SANTACO) says it is ready to adopt automated fare collection systems, citing safety as the main reason for the shift.

SANTACO’s statement comes in response to social media backlash against Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who recently renewed calls for cashless payments in the taxi industry.

Lesufi took to X, to highlight the benefits of cashless transactions for both commuters and operators. However, the post sparked debate, with some users expressing safety concerns and others criticizing the Premier for focusing on an issue they consider irrelevant.

Premier Panyaza Lesufi will do anything except what the people of Gauteng want.

No one asked for this. The people want:
1. Functioning traffic lights and streetlights in Gauteng.
2. Reduced conflict between taxi drivers and Uber drivers.
3. Increased investment in public… https://t.co/fiI6mTo9TQ

— Ivyn Sambo (@IvynSambo) October 8, 2025

How much money is going to spent on this project that will fail?
Taxi owners must register their taxis and get a tax number.

lol. Ai mara senyang chelete. This will not work.

Taxi operators will work without makhanda? https://t.co/32klgrLEmx

— SEFOTO (@GeeSEFOTO) October 8, 2025

This won’t work, hasn’t worked in 06 when it was introduced and led to the introduction of those queue skipping cards.

It won’t work because it’ll inflate taxi prices, it’ll take away “tjhelete ya lekous” that subsidises the pittance that taxi drivers get paid https://t.co/uTe2LxbmCq

— Y U 4 Me? (@kabzalone) October 7, 2025

This isn’t the first time Premier Lesufi has spoken about a cashless taxi industry.

Since 2023, he has consistently spoken about plans to migrate Gauteng’s public transport system to a fully cashless model.

At the Local Government Turnaround Summit last year, Lesufi set 2026 as the target for full implementation.

One ticket for taxis, trains and busses. Today, we received a presentation to reposition our public transport towards a cashless but efficient system. Less talk, more work! #GrowingGautengTogether pic.twitter.com/mRXbWQ7lPs

— Panyaza Lesufi (@Lesufi) April 18, 2024

Speaking to YNews, SANTACO National Spokesperson, Mmatshikhidi Phala, said the plan to move to cashless payments is not a new idea but one that has been trialed since 2013.

“At the time, we were particularly doing it in the province of Gauteng, on a route that was moving between Pretoria and Johannesburg.

At the time, one of our biggest concerns was the issue of safety, assurance, as well as the capacity of the said system to be able to meet the needs of our commuters,” he said.

Phala emphasized that the shift to a cashless system has been a long-standing priority, officially adopted at the 2020 National Taxi Lekgotla. He added that once the industry is fully ready to implement the system, commuters will be formally notified.

“They will learn of this when the time has come and we are ready to start operating automated fare collection systems fully. However, it is certainly being trialed in pockets of the country as we speak,” he added.