Taxi industry wants to launch airline

The taxi industry wants to expand into other transport modes including buses, trains and even airplanes, the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) says.

"We will be launching a low-cost airline," Nkululeko Buthelezi, business development officer for Santaco, told potential investors and reporters in Johannesburg.

"I can see some of you rolling your eyes because of how our taxi drivers drive... I can assure you we won't allow our taxi drivers to drive (the planes)." The airline would be officially unveiled on September 16 and take to the skies by November.

Buthelezi said the routes Santaco was looking at, such as Lanseria to Bhisho, made sense for their customers, who often made a 14-hour road trip for a funeral and had to return five hours later.