Hundreds of elderly Mercedes-Benzes and Toyotas jostled for parking last week when more than 1 000 drivers of metered taxis gathered in Johannesburg to discuss the state of the industry.
In contrast to their famously brusque colleagues in New York, drivers at the conference — held at the Klipriviersberg recreation centre in the south of the city — seemed more concerned with good driver behaviour. ”Only once you respect yourself and your car can you respect your clients,” said one operator. Another longed for ”the kind of service you see in an aeroplane”.
There are now 2 411 metered taxis in the Johannesburg area, with the majority belonging to Rose’s Taxi (158) and Maxi Taxi (189). Unlike their international counterparts, they come in many shapes and sizes — one is as likely to be picked up in a rusting Toyota Corolla that smells of pine-flavoured disinfectant as in a smart Mercedes-Benz. The only clue is a plastic taxi sign on the roof.
A driver who works the inner-city ranks earns about R1 200 a month, while a driver plying the lucrative Sandton routes can earn up to R500 a night.
The government woke up to the parlous state of the country’s transport system four years ago. Unreliable trains feed municipal buses and minibus taxis, a system that is creaking under the strain. Metro buses don’t run at off-peak times and only 21% of the population can use them because they do not operate outside urban areas, according to the national Department of Transport’s website.
However, a recapitalisation programme for the minibus-taxi industry only kicked off in October this year. The programme aims to exert some measure of control over the taxi bosses as well as improve safety.
Now the metered-taxi drivers would like the government to get involved with the development of their industry too. It was decided at the Johannesburg conference to ask the government to subsidise 25% of the cost of a new car.
The drivers have decided to give the government 24 months to start the recapitalisation process, but said they fear there will be delays.
So, which cars will go to the scrap yard and which will stay on the roads? ”If you have a Mazda hatchback 323, it has to go. But if you have one of those Mercedes that are only five or six years old, then you don’t need to get another car,” a taxi operator told the conference to grunts of approval.
The conference also resolved to address drivers’ lack of knowledge of Johannesburg’s extensive road network. A London cab driver, for example, must study for years, learning more than 25 000 streets within a six-mile (almost 10km) radius of Charing Cross station.
Regulating the industry
Most of the metered taxis in Johannesburg are only semi-legal due to a lack of permits, and exist under the label ”informal-sector irregular metered taxis”.
It is well-nigh impossible to obtain a permit for a metered taxi. The Road Transportation Board in Gauteng has not issued one in three years due to ”reregulation”, according to the provincial transport department, so the only option is to buy one from a retiring cabbie. Therefore, drivers use their permit application forms and reference numbers as permits.
Even the cabs charging the highest fares — such as Corporate Cabs’s fleet of new Toyota Camrys or AA Metrocabs’ 30 Opel Zafiras and Volkswagen Tourans — are technically operating illegally, according to the government.
But this is all about to change as the Gauteng department of public transport, roads and works will be speedily reregistering and legalising as many taxis as possible. The department is in the ”mobilising stages” of formalising and regulating the metered-taxi industry.
Head of department Sibusiso Buthelezi told the Mail & Guardian Online the reason the metered-taxi industry is so ”shabby” is because it is not properly regulated and no one wants to invest in it. He says the department is not opposed to subsidising metered taxis but may not be able to afford it.
”It’s still early days,” he said. ”It serves our interest to walk with the metered cabs through this because we want to usher the public into the age of hope.”
In an attempt to regulate the metered-taxi industry as well as beef up public safety in cabs, the department plans to create a regional radio centre that all taxi companies will use. This will also squeeze out pirate taxis or force them to come on board.
In the meantime, metered-taxi drivers will continue to serve their clients, with or without permits.
Ludwig Sekgobela (56), who attended the conference, drives a rusty Corolla and said a driver ”creates [his] customers”.
”If someone is coming from overseas, I’ll ask him where he is from, what does he do, why is he here; I’m always friendly. Maybe he’ll ask for me again,” he said.
Eyeing the Soccer World Cup in 2010, Sekgobela is hoping for the best. ”We are waiting for it [the World Cup] and we’re hoping that the government will sponsor us,” he said.