The struggle continues for road users

GEORGE NUUS - It seems that local taxi drivers are yet to heed the call for cautious driving by Thembalethu commuters and road users.

Last year in November a delegation made up of Thembalethu residents embarked on a campaign throughout the township to voice their concerns over taxi drivers' recklessness on the road.

However, after a number of meetings there doesn't seem to be any improvement in taxi behaviour on the roads. As recent as last week, a road user who asked not to be named took a photograph of taxis driving in an oncoming lane during peak hour, just before the Thembalethu bridge in Nelson Mandela Boulevard.

In one of the meetings held in November 2018, taxi bosses promised to address these issues. However, the problems have since escalated.

Chairman of Uncedo, Welele Mbhudede, said there was no time after the meetings to consolidate their plans to address the issues and speak to their drivers, as it was too close to the holidays. Only now can they continue to consult with their members.

Mbhudede said although they are in a process of responding to the community's concerns, Uncedo has other mechanisms of disciplining their drivers and members.

"We ask the public to please speak with us if they are experiencing any problems with regard to our drivers. We have internal processes that deal with such issues and drivers can be fined or suspended if found guilty. We have a disciplinary committee and a transport committee that deals with issues related to taxis and drivers."

Mbhudede encouraged people to come speak with them at the Uncedo offices while they are working on finding solutions to these problems.

The problems commuters and road users experience include: