South Africa’s national minibus-taxi body is talking to government, fuel companies and operators after another record fuel rise — and says it is not yet announcing any nationwide fare increase.
From Wednesday 7 October 2026, official prices rise again. we've used R22 = £1:
Petrol 95: up R3.33/litre (~15p/litre) to about R30.25/litre (~£1.38/litre)
Petrol 93: up R3.12/litre (~14p/litre) to about R29.88/litre (~£1.36/litre)
Diesel 0.05% sulphur: up about R2.84/litre (~13p/litre) to about R31.95/litre wholesale (~£1.45/litre)
Diesel 0.005% sulphur: up about R3.24/litre (~15p/litre) to about R33.29/litre wholesale (~£1.51/litre)
What SANTACO is saying
The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) said it will engage government, the fuel industry and taxi operators after the hike.
Spokesperson Mmatshikhidi Phala said the council wants to explore cushioning measures with the fuel industry, using the sector’s collective buying power. She said SANTACO is not making any announcement yet on possible taxi fare increases.
“The Council recognises that any adjustment to fares has a direct impact on commuters and therefore believes that all possible options must first be explored before a position is reached.”
Fares still decided route by route
Earlier this month, Phala told IOL that associations had only put through one fare increase since fuel began climbing in March 2026, while facing higher maintenance and other operating costs.
Any further rise, she said, would be decided by individual taxi associations on their own costs and margins, after talking to commuter groups — not as a single national hike. SANTACO’s Taxi Fare Index generally discourages jumps of more than 10% at a time unless conditions are exceptionally hard. The organisation is also pressing for a fairer public transport subsidy and temporary relief.
In KwaZulu-Natal, SANTACO spokesperson Sifiso Shangase told ECR the province will meet government to seek help absorbing the increase. If that fails, he said, operators may have little choice but to pass some of the cost on to passengers.
For UK readers: South Africa’s “taxi” industry here means the minibus-taxi sector that carries most daily commuters — different from licensed hackney/PHV fleets in Britain, but facing the same squeeze when diesel hits records.