Cape Town’s taxi driving behaviour has been a cause of concern for many years. Despite its importance in providing transportation to citizens, it has become increasingly chaotic and dangerous due to a lack of regulation. JP Smith, a DA councillor in Cape Town, has recently spoken out on the need for reform.
Taxi owners are usually members of a chapter or “region” in Cape Town. They employ drivers, who must pay a “usage” fee per day to the owners. The drivers are bound to specific routes, but these are rarely adhered to, with CATA and Codeta operating with impunity across all areas.
The legislation only regulates drivers and owners, with very little regulation of the bodies between them. It’s a well-known fact that these chapters charge membership fees which are used to pay contract killers. Drivers must pay daily usage fees, which incentivises them to ferry as many passengers from point A to point B, collect fares, and keep the surplus. This leads to reckless driving, such as running red lights, driving on the shoulder, and cutting into queues.
The legislation only allows the fining of the driver, and the owner can pay admission of guilt fines to get their vehicle back. However, this does not solve the problem. The Cape Town Traffic Services have impounded 357 public transport vehicles in the last week, but this is not enough. JP Smith is calling on Minister Mackenzie and the national government to take urgent action and reform the current legislation. Hopefully, this will help to address the taxi driving behaviour crisis in Cape Town.