Taxi Trotting

Hooting taxis looking for passengers to requested destinations on the road, commuters signal hand signs high up in the air as if reaching to touch the sky for the right taxi. “Sister – Atteridgeville, Mabopane, Wonderpark, Hatfield?” taxi marshals will ask.

By: Letlhogonolo Ndhlovu

There are taxis to most places in Pretoria, you just have to stop the right one. Taxis are the cheapest mode of transport after the Metrorail trains and over 14 million South Africans make use of taxis.

Bus stop driver, sho’t left or after robot…

We catch a taxi on Madiba and Lillian Ngoyi Street to Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria and our driver Vincent has been working from 8:30 am and will knock off around 7 pm driving four rounds of commuters from Atteridgeville to town.

There are seven passengers in this minibus taxi all seated searching their billfolds; strangers will tenderly tap shoulders starting from the backseat to pass R12 each that will get them to their journey’s end.

“Bus stop driver, sho’t left or after robot,” is the taxi lingo we use, this taxi will stop about fourteen times dropping and picking up passengers along the road.

One does wonder who came up with all these signs that are universally understood among the taxi drivers and the commuters.

To get to town whether in Johannesburg or Pretoria, you stick your index finger high up, use the same finger for a local taxi except pointing downwards. Then there are the more elaborate X signs that will apparently take you to Block X in Soshanguve, the fist in the air indicates signals to the mall and a waving hand as if sliding up and down a hill says you are heading via the highway.

There are a lot of signs to get around in Pretoria, always ask once the taxi stops to make sure that both you and the driver understand where you are heading, it is not fun getting lost. Another valuable tip is to ask your driver where to catch a taxi back to where he picked you up, rather that or risk the chance of catching the wrong taxi to destination Y.

For more interesting articles about Pretoria, visit Pretoria Interactive for stories like the June 16 Pretoria Street Photography Photo Walk and much more our Lifestyle for Local Personalities, Society.