A hitch between taxi owners and the public

FRUSTRATION has risen between the local taxi association and members of the public surrounding the matter of hitchhiking.
According to the Vryheid SAPS’ Captain Cheryl Venter, they have received reports of people being beaten up during confrontations at hiking spots.
Captain Venter advised that an adult is allowed to get into any vehicle he/she wants to, with the driver’s consent, and should not be intimidated for doing so.
It seems that the fight or argument is that people with private cars are picking up people at hiking spots and thus having a negative impact on the taxi businesses.
The taxi owner’s association is said to have hired security guards who forcibly remove people from the vehicles in which they receive lifts at the local hitch-hiking spots and the ordeal is said to often be violent.
According to the chairman of the Zululand Region Taxi Association, Mr Sibusiso Zwane, they are aware of the matter and have done all they can to ensure that violence does not ensue.
“The agreement has always been that people are allowed to hitch-hike as long as it is done further away from the taxi rank.
“The reason that some members of the taxi association started these patrols is that certain van and bakkie drivers have started their own little ‘ranks’ at the hiking spots, picking up these hitchhikers at lower fees.
“This is having a negative impact on our businesses as they are poaching our customers,” said the chairman.
Certain members of the association have since been appointed to do regular check-ups at these hiking points to ensure that the mini-taxi ranks do not continue operating.
Members of the community are also guilty for the drama that has ensued, as they tend to not even go to the taxi rank to see whether the taxis are empty or not, they just head up to these hiking spots and you find about 20 people hiking, while a taxi at the rank has about three people in it.
“If these people were to head down to the rank then the taxis would also leave faster,” said Mr Zwane.

The chairman did, however, say that members who had been sent out to be on guard at the points had been told sternly not to conduct any violent acts against members of the public as well as the drivers of private vehicles.
“The drivers of these private cars do not have permits for transporting members of the public, we have transporting permits which we paid for and thus it is not fair for us to lose our customers to them,” Mr Zwane said in conclusion.

At this moment it is unclear what will happen as it is unlikely that people will stop hitchhiking and it is not guaranteed that more violence will not break out when they are found doing so.

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