Call for regulated taxi industry

Taxis waiting for commuters at the Bara Taxi rank, south of Johannesburg. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen Most road users regard taxis as speeding death traps, whose owners and drivers believe they are above the law. That is why the words of an official of a taxi organisation concerning road safety would be taken by many with the biggest pinch of salt.

But one should not hasten to dismiss the comments of National Taxi Alliance spokesperson Theo Malele, who reckons that, with the current state of the industry and legislation,“any fool” can operate a minibus. What he is saying is that requiring taxi drivers to have professional driving permits is next to useless because the mere possession of such a document doesn’t guarantee behaviour which is any safer. He is also spot-on when he says: “If you look at the requirements of a professional driving permit, it does not come with any competencies.

“All that they look for is the health of the driver and there is no other tuition that the driver gets to qualify to be called a professional driver.” Malele listed the common causes of taxi crashes as “driver fatigue and behaviour”, as well as the abuse of alcohol. However, he pointed out that passengers often encouraged drivers to speed, to get to their destinations quicker. “Passengers need to budget sufficient time when travelling,” he suggested.

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That pressure of time – and to make money – is perhaps the biggest factor in lawless behaviour by taxis, something Malele acknowledged by saying the presence of money in the vehicle put pressure on drivers to earn more… as does pressure from taxi owners. Malele suggested some sort of cashless payment system would remove one of those issues and a “regulatedworking environment” – along with a government-backed strategy to provide them with benefits such as the Unemployment Insurance Fund, a pension fund and medical aid – could bring stability.

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