Taxi drivers clash with metro police over 100% capacity in Duban

Taxi drivers clash with metro police over 100% capacity in Duban

On Monday, taxi drivers clashed with metro police in Duban as the long arm of the law clamped down on taxis operating at full capacity.

Pinetown, Pietermaritzburg and Durban operating at 100% capacity, ignoring government’s Covid-19 lockdown regulations which stipulate that public transport vehicles are permitted to operate at only 70% capacity.

Police officers have been stopping vehicles and telling passengers to alight, arresting taxi drivers.

Umhlanga taxi rank driver, said there was not much he could do about the situation because he was given instructions by his employer, the vehicle owner.

“They instructed us to take 70% capacity and we did that. When they say we must take 100% again, we will. The sad part is that the police will arrest us drivers even though the owners said we must take 100%,” he said.

Taxi drivers took the decision after rejecting the R1.1 billion relief fund offered by the government, believing it won’t be sufficient to quell the situation on the ground.