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Bolt has partnered with private security to ensure the safety of drivers.
- E-taxi drivers say they are being attacked by taxi drivers in the Vaal Triangle.
- Bolt SA says it is aware of an increase in incidents of harassment and intimidation and has now partnered with a private security company to ensure the safety of drivers.
- The Sedibeng District Municipality said it was not their responsibility to protect Bolt’s drivers.
Meter taxi drivers downloaded Bolt’s apps and requested a ride as customers, said Bongani Lucky *, a Bolt driver in the Vaal Triangle in Gauteng. “When you arrive at the collection point it is not the customer, but the taxi drivers … I was lucky because they listened to me, but usually they beat you and took your money,” he told GroundUp.
According to Lucky, violence and threats from meter taxi drivers towards electronic call drivers in Vaal increased during the Covid-19 shutdown. Lucky said he has been stopped by taxi drivers about five times since he joined Bolt in February.
“They wait for you in places where there are a lot of customers like shopping centers and they threaten you. It’s very difficult for us, especially at the end of the month because that’s when people ask us a lot and we earn money.” he said.
Lucky now drives more than 50 miles a day to and from Johannesburg to work after taxi drivers threatened to “burn me with my car if they saw me working in Vaal again.” The area includes Vereeniging, Sasolburg and Vanderbijlpark. You are afraid to go to the city with your family in your car because taxi drivers will think you are operating and may harm your family.
He said several drivers had tried to report the incidents to the police, but were told to resolve the problem with the taxi meter associations.
He rents a car to a fleet owner and pays R2,000 per week.
Car ‘impounded’
The fleet owner, who asked not to be identified, said one of his cars had been seized by taxi drivers. “They pretended to be a customer and asked a driver to go to a mall. When he arrived, five cars surrounded him and impounded the car. They said I had to pay R2 000 if I wanted my car back, which I finally paid. to protect the driver, “he told GroundUp.
He said the dispute between electronic taxis and meters was common in Gauteng, but worse in Vereeniging. “I can’t believe this is allowed to happen. People have to go to work and fear for their lives.”
Gareth Taylor, Bolt’s country manager at SA, said the company was aware of an increase in incidents of harassment and intimidation, allegedly perpetrated by meter taxi drivers against electronic call drivers in Vereeniging.
Taylor said Bolt had partnered with Namola, a safety response app, via an in-app emergency button that shares driver details and location with Namola’s 24/7 call center if the driver is in danger. He said Namola then deploys private security and emergency services immediately.
“Drivers can also decline a ride if they are concerned about the safety of the pickup location, without affecting their rating,” he said. But Lucky said it was difficult to tell if the pickup location was dangerous because taxi drivers were posing as customers when they requested a driver.
It is not the responsibility of the municipality
Sedibeng District Municipality spokesman Savior Kgaswane said that several meetings had been held on this issue. “The Sedibeng District Municipality strongly condemns such acts of violence and extortion. Several cases have been reported and the SAPS constantly informs the committee about the developments,” he said.
Kgaswane said that if a taxi meter operator was found to be involved in violence and extortion, the municipality and the provincial department would withdraw their operating licenses.
He said it was not the responsibility of the city to protect Bolt’s drivers.
* Not your real name.
