Panel vans are designed to transport goods and do not have the safety features common in passenger vehicles. A converted panel van retails for R40,000 cheaper than a normal minibus.
It was claimed that when the side panels of the vans were cut out so windows could be fitted in, the vehicle's structure was so weakened that a severe crash would almost certainly be fatal.
Former banker Hennie de Beer said the seat belts in the converted vans were fastened to the seats and not to the body of the vehicle. As a result, in a collision, the seat belts only offered the illusion of safety, he said. He said that while even a properly fitted taxi could have passenger fatalities in a collision, its safety features offer a far higher chance of survival than a converted van.
De Beer accused vehicle testing stations and licensing boards of not properly monitoring the conversion procedure. "The lack of effective controls created a breeding ground for deception, fraud, and syndication with the ultimate purpose of exploiting unsophisticated taxi owners for huge monetary gains," he said.
The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications submitted that the law allowed any private vehicle to be converted, but that a vehicle can only be used as a taxi once the appropriate permit has been issued. These are normally not issued to converted vehicles.
But SA Taxi Alliance chairman Alpheus Mlalazi said the corruption was so rife that a bribe can overcome this obstacle.
Source: The Times
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