Between Friday, 18 August, and Tuesday, 23 August, the Gauteng Department of Transport (GDoT) impounded 30 Bajaj Qute cars working as public transport vehicles in the Joburg CBD, Braamfontein, and Westbury, due to their drivers not being in possession of operator’s licences.
An operator’s licence stipulates where a public transport vehicle will pick up and offload passengers, which routes it will be travelling, and the minimum requirements it must meet to safely transport people, in order to keep a measure of control and predictability in this sector.
While the Bajaj vehicles were completely roadworthy, with the worst defect being something like a problematic indicator, they were not allowed to offer rides for reward without an operator’s licence, and were therefore seized by Joburg Metro Police (JMPD) during routine patrols, said GDoT spokesman Sello Maremane while speaking to Newzroom Afrika.
It is currently unclear for whom the drivers of the Qute vehicles work, whether it be for a registered e-hailing service or a new entrant into the space, as the cars suddenly appeared in large numbers in specific areas around Johannesburg.
When JMPD officers approached them, the majority of the drivers ran away and abandoned their Qutes, while those who could be questioned said the vehicles were supplied to them by a company, but refused to specify the name of the business, said Maremane.
The GDoT has not received applications for operator’s licences for any of the vehicles it has impounded thus far, either, hence, investigations to find out from where they originated and who supplied them are still underway.
Taxi violence must be avoided at all costs
The Qute cars operating illegally ignited fears of potential taxi conflict, as traditional minibus taxis are regularly fined or impounded if they are caught with paying passengers but without an operator’s licence, outside of their designated routes, or with a defective vehicle.
“The problem to us is really the fact that [the Qute drivers] don’t have operating licences, and this may spark taxi violence. We don’t want that to happen in our community,” said Maremane.
Unlike minibus taxis, the Bajaj taxis pick up passengers next to the road and drop them off wherever they request, operating similar to services like Uber and Bolt, but without any regulation.
This means they could potentially transport people who would have otherwise been on a minibus taxi by illegally picking them up wherever they may be instead of at a pre-determined location, like what an operator’s licence requires them to do, creating unfair competition in the public transport space.
To get their Qute taxis back, the drivers must now approach the GDoT and pay an admission of guilt fine to the tune of R1,500 for working without an operator’s licence, as well as a R3,500 impoundment fee per vehicle.
Keyword: Gauteng traffic police impound 30 Bajaj Qute cars in 5 days