Balaka taxi operators defy council order to relocate

Taxi operators in Balaka Town have put their feet down and defied a district council order to relocate to a new site, arguing that the new location is not conducive for business.

The operators say business is booming in the district as people now prefer using taxis for shorter distances than minibuses. There are at least 15 taxis that ply on the Balaka to Manjawira route via Chingeni.

Last week, the council ordered all taxis to operate from inside the bus terminal not from outside the main entrance, saying the place they are operating from belongs to Central East African Railways (Cear).

The Nation gathered that the council came up with this decision to maximise revenue collection as each taxi leaving the station is supposed to pay K150 per trip.

On Monday, taxi operators met the council chairperson, Patrick Botomani, to express their concerns and were allowed to return to their current location until a suitable place is identified.

Balaka Taxi Association chairperson Innocent Mandevu said they will not move to the new site because where they are currently located is strategic for business.

He said: “We will not go inside the station, the council should identify a suitable place for us. We cannot do business alongside minibus operators because we compete for the same routes.”

Botomani said in an interview that council agreed to relocate taxi operators to an alternative location to avoid accidents as the current site is near a railway line.