Cape Town – Several taxis in Mitchells Plain carrying passengers were yesterday stopped near the terminus and turned back by police for allegedly breaking Covid-19 operating regulations.
The taxis were en route to transport passengers who had gone shopping at the Town Centre shopping mall.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula issued directives on the capacity limits and operating times of public transport services, which permitted minibus taxis to only transport 70% of their passenger capacity, meaning those licensed to transport 10 are now limited to seven passengers.
Those licensed to transport 15 are now limited to 10 passengers, and a minibus licensed to transport 22 passengers is limited to 15.
Passengers may only board a minibus taxi between 5am and 10am and between 4pm and 8pm.
All passengers must be offloaded by 11am, and no passengers may board the taxi after 10am.
An angry passenger, Glenda Meyer, yesterday said she was frustrated by the incident. She had gone to the mall to buy baby essentials and had no way to get home after the taxis were stopped by police.
“We were standing there for more than an hour and the police came and told us to get off the taxis.
“They don’t care about us,” she said.
Mayco member for transport Felicity Purchase said monitors at the rank who were employed by the City reported taxi operations at the Mitchells Plain taxi rank continued between the prescribed operational windows declared by the National Minister of Transport.
“The infringement of the lockdown rules was reported to the enforcement agencies, who in turn acted on the complaint,” she said.
