Taxi rant

Is it any wonder that South Africa's infamous minibus taxi drivers rank among the most annoying people in the world? Their blatant disregard for other road users and particularly their passengers has to be seen to be believed. The majority apparently have no genuine licences, as they seem to be oblivious to the rules of the road which are based on consideration for fellow road-users.

An orange traffic light is simply a signal to accelerate and they still have to discover the meaning of the red one. It is safest to wait until all taxis have gone before venturing to take your turn through a green light. If there is a traffic jam, they will simply drive past on the left and push into the queue at the front, leaving the rest of us sitting like monkeys waiting for our turn.

They drop their passengers in the most inappropriate places, usually pulling across a Stop sign and blocking the traffic, in a gesture of FU, knowing that no-one will challenge them. If you dare to indicate your displeasure at their lack of manners, they will threaten you verbally or physically, and have been known to shoot indiscriminately in busy main roads.

But we must try to see things from their point of view:
1. You don't actually need a licence to drive a car. You just turn the key and steer as best you can. It helps to know where the brakes are, but the accelerator is the only thing that really counts.
2. It doesn't matter if you bump into someone. They will be insured and you don't care about another dent. The minibus still goes.
3. It doesn't matter if you overload. You are just getting as many people to work as possible, and if the minibus rolls as you go round a corner, they probably won't be hurt as they are well packed in.
4. If your passenger works 50m from a bus stop, aren't you giving them good service by dropping them at the door rather than letting them walk?
5. If you know that no-one will go when the traffic light turns green because they can see you coming at high speed and won't be able to stop, why disappoint them?

It would be wonderful to see them in action going round the Arc de Triomphe - what a hoot!