South African taxi operators have earned R3.3 million rewards through the SA Taxi Rewards, a minibus taxi rewards programme, JSE-listed Transaction Capital revealed on Wednesday.
The rewards programme was launched in April 2018 by SA Taxi, an independent minibus taxi financier, in collaboration with Taxi Choice, the commercial arm of the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO). The SA Taxi Rewards programme was previously known as Black Elite.
The SA Taxi Rewards has 52Â 992 rewards cards.
The programme aims to leverage the minibus taxi industry’s purchasing power to negotiate better pricing to benefit minibus taxi operators, associations and ultimately the entire industry.
Initial programmes provide rewards based on fuel and tyre spending, regardless of whether the operator is a client of SA Taxi or not. Further rewards programmes aimed at parts procurement are under consideration.
Transaction Capital announced on Wednesday that the fuel rewards programme has 15 000 cards issued to date.
The company added that more than 16 million litres of fuel pumped into taxis in the 2022 financial year through its fuel programme with Shell.
In October 2019, SA Taxi launched a tyre programme with Bridgestone South Africa, a tyre manufacturer, to provide tyres specifically designed for Toyota minibus taxis.
The company has sold 44 000 tyres throughout the programme.
The tyre has been designed to meet the stringent requirements of the Ses’fikile Toyota Quantum minibus taxis and the Original Auto Equipment Manufacturer requirements.
The minibus taxi industry is thought to be a sleeping giant defined as:
- An R100 billion industry
- With more than 200 000 vehicles
- Employing more than 600,000 people
- Transport 15 million commuters per day
- Accounting for 66% of the country’s public transport traffic
