Bizarre scenes played out at the Windmill bus terminus on the East London beachfront in Quigney on Wednesday, when 50 angry local taxi drivers blockaded luxury coaches, accusing them of over-booking passengers and leaving the taxi industry short of customers.
The taxi drivers brought the luxury bus operations to a standstill for the entire day.
The taxi drivers searched the buses, inspected operating licences and permits and even checked the validity of bus drivers' licences.
The raid was carried out by drivers aligned to the Mdantsane East London Taxi Association (Melta), Uncedo Mdantsane Taxi Association (Mdusta), East London Taxi Association (Elta) and East London Long Distance Taxi Association (Eldista).
When the Dispatch arrived at the busy spot at midday, Melta public relations officer Welile Blayi, Mdusta public relations officer Vuyani Mbewu and Elta’s Xolile Ngwendu were working together with three Buffalo City Metro traffic cops, SAPS Crime Prevention Unit members and members of the public order police, as they inspected an Intercape bus. Police members were inspecting the conditions of the buses, as well as paperwork.
Melta chairperson Gabs Mtshala told the Dispatch that some national carriers, which were permitted to pick up passengers in East London once a day, were instead dispatching four buses at a time.
He accused them of “raiding” the route.
“This overbooking doesn’t allow passengers to make a choice of using alternative transport, which is the taxi industry and aviation industry.”
About 10 Toyota Quantum minibuses were lined up in Moore Street and were loading up bus companies’ passengers each time a bus had been accused of claimed violations.
East London police spokesperson Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala confirmed that a Citiliner bus driver was fined R1,000 for driving without a public driver's permit (PDP).
“The bus was taken for a roadworthy test at the Buffalo City Metro test centre after officials raised concerns about its condition,” Mqala said.
Eldista official Nowel Morrison said traffic officials were lenient on buses and that the taxi associations were carrying out the raid to expose “illegal” activities.
Earlier in the morning the Dispatch saw four passengers aboard an Eagleliner bus ordered out of the vehicle, which was bound for Mthatha, and loaded into a taxi.
The Dispatch heard the taxi drivers demanding R2,500 from the bus driver in order to transport the four to Mthatha.
Morrison said: “When it is us, we get stopped and get fined if we do not have permits to transport people.”
The Eagleliner bus had apparently left Cape Town on Tuesday at 17.45pm and was expected to arrive in Mthatha on Wednesday at 13.40pm, costing passengers R480 each.
In July, Autopex Passengers Services (SOC) LTD, the owners of Translux and City to City, turned to the Grahamstown high court interdicting two taxi associations from threatening, harassing, intimidating and obstructing the drivers, passengers and their buses operating between Dutywa and Bloemfontein.
Autopex is a division of Prasa.
The taxi associations interdicted were the Ngcobo and Butteworth branches of Uncedo Taxi Services and Butterworth Industry Long Distance Taxi Association.
Grahamstown high court judge Templeton Mageza was told of violent scenes which erupted at Ngcobo Total garage on July 12 and at Butterworth train station on June 24 and July 8.
BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya could not be reached on his cellphone for comment...