Taxi!

Everyday on my long, arduous commuting to and from work, I manage to encounter taxis. This is a common, toxic problem in South Africa – something which has possibley reached epidemic proportions in Gauteng.

The vast majority of these ‘vehicles’ could not, by any stretch of the imagination be considered road worthy – there seems to be more duct-tape than actual taxi. Not only does this pose a huge risk to other road users (driving over bits of taxi could damage tyres, and ruin your morning), but is a daily dice with death for the commuters inside.

Apart from the threat of a taxi falling apart in front of you on a busy highway, there is the danger of being mauled by one, as the drivers seem to think that the rules of the road do not apply to them. At all. For them, it is an accepted practice to overtake other cars over solid lines; driving on the verge of the road (one taxi-driver who attempted this, did not meet a happy end. His taxi rolled off an embankment, trapping the people inside); changing lanes without indicating, or without checking to see if there is another car in the way (they seem to hold the opinion that you must move for them, regardless. Even if you are stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, with half a meter in front of you).

But, admittedly, not all taxi drivers are that bad. There is a small handful (very, very, very small) who could serve as examples to the rest of use. They keep their taxis in immaculate condition – a sense of pride emanates from them. They are courteous road users, and obey the rules of the road, such as stopping at a red robot. I have, sadly, only ever encountered two such taxis. It would be nice if there were more of them.