Shoppers stranded at taxi rank
Passengers returning from shopping in Mbombela were stranded at the Mbombela Taxi Tank with no means to reach their homes.
With the ongoing lockdown of the country to fight the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, public transport users and the transport industry feel the pinch.
Many passengers returning from shopping in Mbombela were stranded at the Mbombela Taxi Tank with no means to reach their homes, as taxis are only allowed to operate between 05:00 and 09:00 and 16:00 and 20:00.
Read:Safety tips for public transport
Fotoza Masuku, a taxi driver, confirms that passengers with their groceries were disappointed at the taxi rank this morning.
“There is nothing we can do. We are all waiting for 16:00 now,” he said.
“We feel being oppressed under this situation. If a taxi is found on the road after 09:00, we could be arrested. And no-one wants to be arrested or fined money that we do not have,” he added. “We are even scared of losing our jobs.”
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Norma Mkhatshwa, a petrol attendant at Inkomazi Garage in town, said she had been at the rank from early this morning.
“I rushed to buy myself some groceries in town before coming to the taxi rank. I am now stranded here with many others. We were told taxis are permitted to leave around 16:00. This is just a pathetic situation,” she said.
This journalist learned that a majority of the people at the rank were not wearing face masks.
