Minibus Taxis

South Africa has a ban on roaming taxis. Truly, I’m not sure what the logic is. So you can call a cab company and arrange a pick-up or you can take the preferred method of transportation, the Minibus Taxi.

Here’s what I know about the phenomenon that is the Minibus Taxi:

1. Each taxi has a defined route that it must follow.

2. The main objective is to pack as many people into the taxi as possible.

3. Operating a taxi requires two men – a driver and a guy who opens the door, collects money, and tells people where to sit in order to achieve the previously mentioned ‘main objective’.

4. Taxis are notorious for driving recklessly and have a high incidence of accidents.

5. Taxi drivers partake in unwarranted and excessive honking (which South Africans call hooting, by the way).

6. All taxis play the exact same hip-hop/Kwaito beat at a blaring volume.

7. There is a system of hand signals (foreign to outsiders) that the operators use to indicate which way the taxi is headed.

8. Drivers spend hours each day washing and waxing their taxis.

9. And the best (and most entertaining) part, taxis have names such as Itsa G'Thing, Oh So Sexy!, and 100% Pure Love – often utilizing the characters z, 4, and ‘.

Pictured here are two versions of Ghetto Boyz at a taxi hub:


I haven't yet ridden a Minibus Taxi but I plan to, at least once. I'm not sure my South African experience will be complete unless I do.