SA taxi council to introduce budget airline

South Africa's mini-bus taxi industry aims to launch a new budget airline by the end of the year.

The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) said it would partner with AirQuarius, a charter company based at the Lanseria International Airport in Johannesburg that would provide 100-seat aircraft, crew and aviation licenses.

The new airline, called Santaco Express, would be based in Bhisho, the capital of Eastern Cape Province and be placed on the Johannesburg exchange.

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Due to launch on September 16, the first flights are expected from Pretoria to the Eastern Cape and to Cape Town, with fares priced at about R600 one-way and taxi rides to and from each airport.

The taxi service in South Africa is renown for being an erratic service – prompting  Santaco business development officer Nkululeko Buthelezi to state, “I can assure you we won't allow our taxi drivers to drive the planes”.