Self-respect for me is the most crucial thing in people’s everyday interactions.
A person who is incapable of respecting himself or herself cannot respect other
people.
Every person by virtue of being a human being is dignified, thus deserves to be respected.
But that crucial lesson seems to have been lost on out taxi drivers, especially those that drive kombis and 4-plus-ones.
You see a taxi driver acting as if national roads are privately owned by him.
He stops at any time and anywhere.
In traffic jams, which are common on our roads, taxi drivers will violate every traffic rule just to get ahead as if
they are the only ones in a rush.
This is what I mean by failure to respect others, in fact it is reckless driving!
When a taxi driver stops in the middle of the road you can think there is an emergency, only to find that he saw a prospective passanger.
Taxis can never ferry all the commuters so why should they go to the extent of risking causing road accidents unnecessarily because of one passenger?
The cost of panel beating is much higher than that mere M4 that they will be
seeking.
Most of our national roads are very narrow, especially those in the villages.
That fact alone should be reason enough for our drivers to be cautious and respect other road users.
Instead, you find taxi drivers stopping in the middle of the road just for a chat.
All vehicles behind them should stop and wait for them to finish chatting!
Only people who are self-centered can do this.
Is it so hard to pull off the road and chat without inconviniencing other motorists.
Taxi drivers have turned our roads into a living hell!
Because they have no self-respect they don’t think its necessary to respect both their passengers and fellow drivers.
they have clearly forgotten that because they are drivers they have a role in protecting the lives of passengers they carry every day and the fellow drivers they interact on the roads.
Taxi drivers seem to have forgotten that our roads are not meant for their vehicles alone.
In the process they have become the biggest threat to other road users.
How many times have to seen a kombi and a 4-plus-one involved in an accident?
As if their recklessness on our roads enough our drivers seem to also believe that
they have a right to pack passengers in their taxis like sardines.
In a taxi certified to carry 16 passengers you will find 20 or more passengers.
This is indeed putting the lives of both passengers and the driver together with his assistant at risk.
Moreover, this is a violation of the Road Traffic Act, but since here in Lesotho “keha ‘mannyafeng” (meaning “everyone does as he or she pleases), very little if not anything is done to stop such blatant violatioon of basic traffic laws.
Our lives are being sacrificed for an extra M4.
You literally have to say a silent prayer everytime you get to your destination without breaking you limbs.
Taxi associations are not doing their job properly, we only hear them when they want to increase taxi fares that’s all.
The associations should make it their responsibility that passengers are served with dignity.
It is in the interest of their businesses that they protect the passengers because without them they will be paupers.
The protection of lives on our roads should be core value of their business.
There is no doubt that most of our taxi drivers urgently need a course in basic customer relations.
lesson number one should be on what what to say and not to say in the presence of passengers.
Some passengers are very sensitive and can’t stand the indecent language that some of our taxi drivers are so fond of using.
Using vulgar language is not a virtue.
Lesson number two should remind taxi drivers that
while they are used to “blasting” their radios most passengers cannot withstand the noise.
Thirdly these drivers must learn that they are not the only users of our roads.
Taxi owners should maintain the higher standards of their taxis.
By so doing they are saving their taxis as well as those who will use them.
In addition, I think taxi owners should make sure they hire competent drivers and their assistants.
They should make sure that their drivers have legal documents (public motor vehicle driving permit).
And their taxis are legally recognised or road worthy.
Indeed much has to be done in the country’s taxi industry.
The important virtue underlying all these is respect.
Respect for others and respect for the self.
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