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Johannesburg - Minibus taxi commuters do not know what they want and often confuse drivers, according to some drivers interviewed on Wednesday.
"Sometimes commuters tell us to hurry up because they are late, sometimes they tell us to go slow," taxi driver Sfiso Khumalo said at the Orange Farm taxi rank, south of Johannesburg, on Wednesday.
He was speaking to Sapa as Gauteng community safety department officials spoke to drivers at the taxi rank about road safety.
He said commuters often treated drivers "like animals".
"They undermine us and call us names, but we carry their lives and they just sit there and fart on our seats."
About 20 taxis drivers blamed the Gauteng government for not issuing them with operating licences on time.
Taxi stops
Drivers said government provided bus stops for buses, but did not do the same for taxis.
"There are bus stops and even bus lanes, but taxis are not catered for, that is why we stop anywhere we want. Where else can we stop?" asked taxi driver Sipho Ncube.
He said the taxi industry was the country's oldest business.
"The government does not care about us, if they cared they would have built taxi stops for us."
