Taxi fare hike: 'I'd have to compromise on food'

For 29-year-old domestic worker Maria Kambonde, the latest taxi fare increase in Windhoek is not just a cost issue. It is about what her household will now have to go without – mostly basic essentials such as food.

Every morning before sunrise, Kambonde leaves Katutura for work, often taking more than one taxi to reach her employer’s home. By the time she returns in the evening, transport has already consumed a painful share of her wages.

With new taxi tariffs having taken effect on 18 May, she says the pressure has become unbearable.

“When fares go up, it means something else must go down,” Kambonde told Namibian Sun yesterday.

She paused quietly before adding: “Usually food.”

The new fares increased short intra-area trips within Katutura and Khomasdal to N$15, while longer routes across Windhoek now cost between N$30 and N$55 depending on destination.

For commuters like Kambonde, the mathematics of survival has become brutally simple. More money for transport means less money for essentials at home.

“It’s not like salaries are increasing,” she said. “But every month there is something new becoming expensive.”

Kambonde said she has already started making adjustments to cope with the hikes.

Some mornings she skips breakfast before work. Other times she buys fewer groceries at month-end to ensure she still has taxi money for the next workweek.

“If you don’t have transport, you can lose your job,” she said.

Her situation mirrors that of many low-income workers in Windhoek who rely almost entirely on taxis to commute between Katutura, Khomasdal, the city centre and affluent residential suburbs where many are employed as domestic workers, cleaners, gardeners and retail staff.

Stalled pay, more expenses

Retail worker Selma Haoseb (25) said even seemingly small increases quickly become destructive when multiplied across daily commuting.

“If you use taxis every day, even N$5 or N$10 extra becomes a problem at the end of the month.”

Another commuter, Tobias Mvula (38), says the issue has a devastating ripple effect.

“Transport is just one part. The bigger issue is salaries not increasing while everything else goes up,” he said.

Never-ending spiral of struggle

But taxi drivers insist they too are trapped in the same economic struggle.

Paulus 'Pasho' Nambala (41), a Katutura-based taxi driver, said commuters often assume drivers benefit directly from fare increases.

“People think taxi drivers benefit when fares go up,” he said.

“But we are also struggling. Fuel is expensive, tyres are expensive, everything is expensive.”

Drivers say fuel hikes earlier this year, which pushed petrol prices up by N$1.40 per litre and diesel by N$4.63, have sharply increased operating costs.

Taxi operator Petrus Shikongo (36) said both commuters and drivers are under pressure.

“Passengers are suffering, yes,” he said.

“But drivers also face constant increases in costs. Fuel, maintenance, parts – it never stops.”

Still, for commuters like Kambonde, the daily reality remains painfully personal. Each taxi ride now comes with a silent calculation – whether there will still be enough money left for bread, cooking oil or mealie meal by month-end.

And for many households already stretched thin, transport is no longer just about getting to work.

It is about what must be sacrificed to get there.

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