Commuters want taxi drivers to stick to Covid-19 safety rules

Taxi commuters remain concerned and angry about drivers who do not adhere to Covid-19 health regulations – and the Greater Potchefstroom taxi association does not appear to be doing much to encourage drivers to comply.

Safety protocols like wearing masks remain in place despite an announcement on 12 September by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s that South Africa’s lockdown restrictions will be eased from level three to level two, which suggests that the infection rate has dropped.

Athi Galadile, a third-year communication student from North-West University (NWU)  said “most taxi drivers do not wear masks. There is no sanitiser stations whatsoever”. 

According to Galadile, taxi drivers are not the only ones who are not wearing their face masks, passengers too, are neglecting to do so. 

When confronted with the complaints the Greater Potchefstroom taxi association initially promised a campaign at the six taxi ranks in Ikageng and one in town to raise awareness about Covid-19.

The association said it could not do much to ensure taxi drivers comply, but it could encourage people to wear masks and sanitise and to also make them aware that the virus, which has been around since 2020, is real. 

But a week later, the association, through its chairperson, Serame Mpedi, reneged on this undertaking stating it had other priorities. 

Nosiviwe Dlimali, a third-year BA social science with psychology student at the NWU was positive about the campaign by the taxi association as an initiative to save lives.

But her view changed when she learnt there was not going to be a campaign or perhaps never was one: “As the association has decided to pull out of the campaign I believe it would be a disservice to the people who frequently use public transportation.

“The campaign would have assisted in ensuring that Covid-19 health protocols are being followed in order to minimise the spread of the virus,” she said.

According to taxi regulations that were updated on July 11 on the South African government’s website, taxi drivers should not carry 100 percent of the licensed capacity for long trips; those are 200km trips and longer. However, taxi drivers in Potchefstroom continue to carry full capacity, some drivers do not sanitise passengers’ hands and some drivers do not wear face masks.

Mahlatsi Moropene, a third-year industrial psychology student from the NWU said that there are passengers who enter taxis without their masks and that goes against Covid-19 rules. According to taxi regulations, a passenger should not be granted access to the taxi without their masks and should be sanitised before getting in a taxi. 

With regards to carrying full capacity for long distance trips, Molatlhegi said that as taxi drivers they feel pressure from taxi owners because at the end of the day they must give owners money. 

“In the afternoon you must give your taxi owner cash and on the other side people are no longer working. A lot of people have lost their jobs, so we have to fill taxis to make money,” he said. 

Mpedi added to this by stating that some of the taxi owners put drivers under pressure to make money, so that they can pay their monthly installments and their salaries, which is why taxi drivers carry full capacity even for long distances. – Reitumetse Mooki, Beunica Williams, Zanele Mhlambi and Oldrin Masowa