With new maxi taxi services brought into South Africa, and the many existing taxi services, Linden Police corporate communications officer Constable Carol Mulamu gave us some tips on how to stay vigilant when it concerns maxi taxis.
- Commuters need to know if the service is registered to the Provincial Taxi Council or the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) or not.
- If yes, they need to find out if the driver is licensed or not.
- They need to take down the registration number of the taxi and forward it to the person they are visiting, or to loved ones, more especially, those who know that they are travelling somewhere.
- It is also important to ask for the driver’s name.
- For regulars, it is advisable to use the same maxi taxi driver or service in time of need, to avoid having a lot of drivers picking you up and compromising your personal details, or anything that you would not want to be known in the public.
- Commuters need to be vigilant and be aware of their surroundings at all times when travelling in a maxi taxi. It is also advisable for commuters not to sleep in the taxi or be busy on cellphones, or anything that might take away their attention from the road.
- If possible, ask your taxi service who the name of your driver is and verify it with the driver when you are being picked up.
- If a taxi service specialises in female drivers and a male driver comes to pick you up, make sure you call your taxi service to verify that they have replaced your driver before you go anywhere.
Always be cautious when going into a maxi taxi, always verify and make sure to let a loved one know where you are.
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