SANTACO Says Only Taxis Can Carry Passengers, Motorists Must Ask Permission, Even for Family Members

• The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) has defended the behaviour of taxi patrollers
• SANTACO declared that motorists are not allowed to pick up hitchhikers without permission
• South Africans are fuming with SANTACO's statement, saying that they don't own the roads

Motorists are not allowed to give lifts to hitchhikers, even if that person is a family member.

That’s according to the South African National Taxi Council. SANTACO made the comment after recent videos of Mpumalanga taxi patrollers harassing motorists who give lifts to hitchhikers went viral on social media.

Only taxis can pick up passengers

SANTACO chairperson in Mpumalanga, Fanyana Sibanyoni, has clarified that car owners aren’t allowed to give pedestrians lifts as this infringes on taxi operators' rights. He added that taxi operators were the only ones with permits to pick up passengers.

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He further explained that motorists should explain to taxi patrollers beforehand that the person they want to give a lift to is a family member.

Taxi patrollers make headlines

Patrollers, particularly in Mpumalanga, have made headlines of late.

Videos have circulated online of patrollers stopping motorists on the road for picking up hitchhikers.

One driver also had his vehicle taken away by patrollers and only returned to him after he paid a fine.

South Africans furious over SANTACO's statement

The statement by SANTACO didn’t sit well with South Africans, who reacted angrily.

Linda Wagner said:

“Seriously. You don't own the roads and people travelling. It's up to each person how they get around.”

Mzi Makate joked:

“Next time, we will have to explain why we are walking.”

Rashid Khan added:

“They cannot dictate to anyone who they can give a lift to or not. It’s a free market. We don’t charge people when we give them lifts.”

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Sylvia Maribe Dlodlo said:

“Yhoooo, so people must ask permission? It's not fair at all. Government must do something about this.”

Shirene Esaus was stunned:

“Now I've heard it all 😲I have to seek permission to give someone or a family member a lift with my own car? 🙄 Am I misreading, or am I on the right track? 🙄”

Santa Adams added:

“They actually believe they own the roads. And the government allow them to do what they want.”

Katlego Reba said:

“Just because Sasko sells bread doesn’t mean that I cannot bake my own bread. These gangsters should respect people, and maybe their businesses won’t rely solely on threats for survival.”

Driver forced to pay taxi patrollers

In a related article, Briefly News reported how taxi patrollers in Mpumalanga forcibly took a man’s vehicle.

The patrollers took his keys and vehicle because he gave a lift to his neighbour, and demanded he pay to get it back.

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The driver explained that even the police refused to help him, as they said they don’t get involved in taxi matters.

Source: Briefly News