“I Wouldn’t Have Paid”: SA Laughs After E-hailing Driver Asks Passenger to Drive

• A Cape Town woman on her way to the airport shared that her e-hailing driver had asked her to drive his car
• While she was behind the wheel, the woman could be heard calming down the driver by telling him not to stress
• Local members of the online community found the TikTok video comical and shared their bizarre experiences with their drivers
• Briefly News contacted a traffic official, who explained the rules e-hailing drivers should follow and the penalities that come with it

A woman in Cape Town had the odd experience of sitting behind the wheel of her Uber driver's vehicle after he asked her to drive.

Going by the name Azi, the passenger, who was on her way to Cape Town International Airport, shared a video on her TikTok account of herself in the car and telling the driver not to stress.

In her post's comment section, she told one of the TikTok users:

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"Dude stopped at the entrance of the airport and wanted to drop me elsewhere because he was dodging traffic officers."

Azi told another TikTok user:

"He asked if I could drive, so I said, 'Yeah, sure.' I needed to catch my flights, dude."

Although Azi drove herself to her destination, she stated that she still had to pay for her ride.

Rules of the road for e-hailing drivers

A traffic official shared with Briefly News the legal necessities for e-hailing drivers and the penalties should they not adhere to the rules.

The person, who wished to remain anonymous, noted that public transport is regulated under the legislation of the National Land Transportation Act 5 of 2009 and the National Road Traffic Act.

"The Acts identify that drivers who are transporting passengers for reward must have a Professional Driving Permit (PrDP), basically, a special driving licence. This authorises drivers to transport passengers for reward on a public road."

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Drivers' vehicles must also be registered with local authorities (the municipality) to receive an 'operating licence,' which authorises the vehicle to be used to transport passengers for reward.

The traffic official stated:

"The reasoning behind these Acts is to control the number of operators on our roads and to ensure that the vehicles are in a roadworthy condition and the driver is 'qualified.'"

Regarding penalties, if drivers don't have a PrDP, they will receive a fine ranging up to R2 000 under the city's bylaws. In second offences, drivers may be arrested.

As for the vehicle, if it does not have an operator's licence or card, the owner or driver may face an additional fine of R2 500.

"On top of that, the vehicle can get impounded, which the owner would be liable to pay the fines attached and an impound fee before it is released."

Passenger-turned-e-hailing driver humours SA

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The woman's comment section was filled with laughing emojis after local social media users saw the video she had posted. One person even said Azi was lucky the e-hailing driver didn't kidnap her, while others shared their experiences.

@nakita_arisia shared a similar experience in the comments:

"This happened to me too when I only had my learner's. He said I’m paying to be Ubered, so we can pretend it’s a driving lesson."

@red7225 also revealed what had happened to them:

"I had an Uber driver asking me to use my phone's GPS and tell him where he had to go. I am much happier with Wanatu, a dream service to use. But this story, you have to share with us every last detail."

@reevs777 told the online community:

"I would not have paid. The audacity!"

@kaylanlawrence stated their thoughts to the public, writing:

"For the last couple of weeks, traffic cops have been impounding Uber drivers' cars. They’ve been checking to see if the car is roadworthy and if they have permits."

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@melzie_elzie laughed and added in the comment section:

"The things we go through. I hope he gave you a good rating on the app."

Azi replied to the TikTok user:

"Oh, my gosh. A few weeks ago, I had to help change the tyre of an Uber driver. Another one had me praying we don’t get stuck on our way to the airport."

Take a look at the TikTok video below:

3 Other stories regarding e-hailing drivers

• In another article, Briefly News reported about a Cape Town woman who confessed to having kissed an e-hailing driver. Mzansi called her actions brave.
• Another Cape Town woman shared a video of a traffic cop driving her to the beach after her e-hailing driver was allegedly taken to jail.
• An e-hailing driver captivated the online audience when he returned a passenger's phone. The driver's honesty deeply resonated with viewers.

Source: Briefly News