This is a warning to the people who don’t live in South Africa, but plan to travel here at some point or another. Please note, if you’re from a country where you can rely on public transport, this post is especially for you. You need to note that public transport is not safe – and shouldn’t be attempted unless you’re really brave. Rather consider renting a car from Avis, or any of those agents…
Whilst being in England I realized for the first time that there are people who don’t have a driver’s license. Adults who have never driven a car!! How strange? This is not a weird thing apparently – people don’t need to drive there – they just hop on a bus or a train, or phone a taxi.
In South Africa its a bit different. Yes there are buses . And yes, there are taxi’s. But you need to note that when you use either of these it might be the last thing you ever do.
These are not taxi’s like you know them in the UK or the US. They’re minibus taxi’s, which (as far as I know) are allowed to have only 16 passengers (but are often overloaded). The taxi drivers have long since been notorious in South Africa. Not all of them, but a lot drive like the devil himself. I have been fortunate enough not to have had to use a minibus taxi, but I have friends who don’t have any other means of transport BUT taxi’s. These friends, and millions of other people are dependent on these maniac drivers. Its their only means of getting to work, the shops, and wherever else they have to travel.
Quoting Thomas Thale: “MINIBUS taxis are by far the cheapest and most popular form of public transport in South Africa, used mainly by the urban and rural poor. But if you are a visitor to Johannesburg, using a taxi can prove bewildering and even frightening.”
Buses are all the same. In the past month I have seen two bus accidents on my route to work, and three taxi accidents in Pretoria. Just to give you an idea, I live about 7km from work. All these accidents were due to speeding & reckless driving (I.e. running a red traffic light). Obviously depending on which bus driver you land up with, but most of the ones I come across drive like they stole the bus.
Firstly they endanger the passengers – people who have no other means of transport – if they don’t take the bus / taxi they don’t get to work. Secondly normal road users are subject to share the road with these people. It really angers me.
Car accidents in South Africa are as common as snow in Russia. We listen to the list of junctions and roads to avoid every morning and ever afternoon on our way to work and home. Everyone knows someone who’s been in an accident – if they weren’t in one themself. Its strange how we just put up with it really?? Its strange how people get arrested for not paying parking tickets, but bus drivers and taxi driver get to endanger thousands of people’s lives each day – without any panelization. I have never seen the Metro police give a ticket to a taxi or a bus driver. Maybe I’m just never in the right place, but its unheard of. These people have schedule, and whatever we do, we dare not interfere with the schedule. It might just cause that they get one bus load less of passengers.
So instead the public sit in their cars, irritated, but too scared to do anything. The Metro police don’t intervene because … I don’t know why?…
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8 comments ↓
NO selfrespecting person who actually has a choice will ever get into a Minibus Taxi.
It really is as simple as that…
The reality is that 6 million people utilise public transport each day. Our economy is dependant on the minibus taxi industry whether we like it or not.
Of course there are lunatic taxi drivers on our roads driving vehicles that endanger passengers. These drivers and operators need to be stopped by the firm hand of a committed Department of Transport with the cooperation of local law enforcement. The problem is that it is once again the commuter who is inconvenienced.
I have noticed a number of road blocks in Johannesburg recently where taxis are being pulled over. I hope this is an ongoing crackdown and that some political muscle is being applied.
The development of the Gautrain, the new transport infrastructure development in Cape Town and other initiatives around the country, give cause for hope and I, for one, am going to try remain positive. Let’s remember that it is not only taxi and bus drivers who are rude and obnoxious on the road! Many of those who complain about the behaviour of these drivers are the same who regularly exceed the speed limit, drive without seatbelts and do absolutely idiotic things behind the wheel!
:/ I beg to differ – a lot of people just don’t have a choice? They have to make a living, and this is their only means of getting to work…?
So true @ Arthur – they’re not the only ones driving like idiots.
[...] a kind of continuation of Dee’s post, I’d like to talk more about South Africa’s minibus taxis. According to Wikipedia, [...]
We only have public transportation in downtown. Where I live they don’t go and I wouldn’t ride it anyways because they scare me here. I don’t know who gave them their licenses but they need to do a reassessment if you ask me. I have enough issues trying not to get run off the road by damn SUV buttwipes.
Policing is just not working right, as far as I’m concerned. Your chances of getting a speeding ticket or any other fine from them is a LOT better than them stopping a crime in progress/catching the criminals/returning stolen property. It seems to me that they’re mostly there to police normally law-abiding citizens, because criminals are just too hard to catch.
Another prime example is the time it takes to fix a bloody robot, but speed cameras are repaired/replaced much quicker if they stop working.
blueyes: “I don’t know who gave them their licenses but they need to do a reassessment if you ask me.”
I think you can get those from the back of cereal boxes now.
If you do have a choice and want to make use of public transport, alot of reputable taxi companies does offer a service. The one’s best avoided is those in private ownership, or minibusses.
And if you do not have a choice, chances are you are long used to their bahaviour.
Nice subject Dee…
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