"This is Johannesburg, this is the taxi industry - what can we do?"
This sums up the reaction of commuters left stranded on the first day of the suspension of the Faraday Taxi Association.
Thousands of commuters were stranded in Johannesburg and the East Rand after the Gauteng provincial government took the decision to suspend operations in the rank when attempts by the Faraday Taxi Association and its mother body, the Top Six Management, failed to resolve a conflict over the ownership quotas.
Each member has a limit on the number of taxis it is allowed to own. The Faraday Taxi Association claims to transport a million passengers each day.
Transport MEC spokesperson Priscilla Pietersen said the government had asked bus operators to provide buses for the stranded commuters. She said the MEC, Khabisi Mosunkutu, had received reports about the lack of transport for commuters in Thokoza.
"We will find out from operators why buses were not provided," she said.
"We are waiting for anything to take us to work," Cynthia Crisp said. She was one of about a thousand commuters left stranded at the Bree Street taxi rank this morning.
"It usually takes us 15 to 20 minutes to get to work. Today we don't know," she said.
A handful of taxis from the Baragwanath Taxi Association at the rank were not enough for the stranded commuters.
Although buses had been brought in, there were too few to deal with the crowds. Squabbles erupted and tempers flared as commuters pushed and tried to shove their way on to the available buses.
"These are our buses. It is not fair. We use the buses every day," one commuter shouted.
Except for near stampedes as buses arrived, the situation at the Bree Street taxi rank was under control. There was no police presence.
Max Chauke, a member of the Faraday Taxi Association, was on hand to calm tempers.
"I am here to console our customers and tell them we are trying to sort out this problem. We will have another meeting tomorrow," he said.
Lucas Mankoe, a Johannesburg Metro bus driver, said: "There are more buses, but they are not enough for our usual passengers and the extra taxi commuters."
Metered taxi drivers made a killing as commuters, desperate to get to work, forked out extra fares. One commuter said he had to pay R5 instead of the usual R2,50.
"This will take a chunk out of my budget. Instead of R25 a week, I'll spend R50," he said.
The usually bustling Southgate taxi rank was desolate on Friday morning. Some commuters waited at the rank from 6am, only to find there were no taxis and they had to walk more than 10km to their workplaces.
One commuter said drivers warned them yesterday that if they boarded rival taxis, they would be shot at.
"They said we must only board trains and buses, but not taxis. We won't take chances. Faraday members do not issue empty threats," she said.
At the Faraday rank, some commuters reacted angrily. They lamented the fact that there was no alternative transport that authorities had "promised" would be provided.
"Where are the buses they told us about? The minister (Mosunkutu) said there will be buses to take us to work," said Mary Dikgale of Dobsonville.
Dikgale said the other frustrating thing about the buses was that they were more expensive than taxis.
"These guys (the government) are letting us down," said another commuter.
Some motorists exploited the situation when they overloaded their vehicles with stranded passengers.
The suspension of operations of the Faraday Taxi Association started peacefully, with no violence or disruptions reported early on Friday, police said.
Top Six spokesperson, Sicelo Mabaso, said closure could force dissenting owners to realise their mistake. He said Top Six was behind the closure, but regretted the inconveniences.