People without cars rely on them to get from one place to another. However, despite the many benefits of taxis they remain a real danger.
Resident and commuter Ria Maree said, “I travel every morning on President Fouche Drive and the taxi drivers drive on the dirt alongside the tar road and on the wrong side of the road towards oncoming traffic, almost causing collisions”.
According to Maree, one taxi driver almost ran a man, his wife and their dog over who were walking next to the road. “They do not care about anyone else driving or walking on that road. They hold up all the traffic as the cars in the right hand lane hardly give them leeway.”
In response to the complaint, the Randburg United Local and Long Distance Taxi Association (Rullta) public relations officer Alfred Mashishi said, “This would not be the first time we have heard of this, the last time someone complained about this we thought we sorted the problem out. We do not want to disobey the law. If one of our drivers should be in the wrong we will have him disciplined”.
Mashishi added in future they would bring back the patrol squad on the road to keep tabs on the drivers. Randburg taxi rank property manager, Johannes Rammala said commuters and passengers needed to report such matters to the right people for a resolution.
Feraday Taxi Association (FTA) public relations officer, Rackson Mubzanani said, “We cannot control how the taxi drivers drive, we have spoken to them about respecting other road users, but it often falls on deaf ears. We have forbidden drivers to drive recklessly.
“Motorists who see taxi drivers drive unlawfully should take down their vehicle registration numbers as well as the time they saw the vehicle. This makes it easier for us to track the driver down and have him dismissed.”
Details: FTA 011-614-9053 or Rullta 011-326-0250, pro@rullta.co.za
