Delegates at COP17 will have access to shuttles

Lucky delegates attending COP17 have access to regular shuttles in and around Durban check out:  map of shuttle routes and times and the People Mover Map with COP17 details

Brown Brothers

The owner of Brown Brothers Taxi Association Mzi (aka Lukas) is a businessman like any other. In 1995 he decided to start his own business. A diploma in logistics planning and management made him over qualified for most of the jobs he wanted. So he started with one taxi and did the driving himself. Today he has 12 taxis operating the Howard College route, in conjunction with Morningside and Overport routes, as well as long haul destinations such as Dundee, Grey Town and Stanger.

Mzi has agreed to operate 2 special routes during COY7 and COP17 (25 November -9 December 2011). Delegates staying in accommodation in Florida road and at Barnard Close can take taxis straight to UKZN Howard College campus between 8:00 - 9:00 and 5:30 - 6:30 for R10. There will also be a lunchtime run between their accommodation and campus. See the map for details.

If you would like to hire a taxi for whatever reason, contact Lukas on 082 765 9729

will the real uMlungu, please stand up

I found myself blankly staring at the TV today with a beer in one hand and half a bag of biltong in the other, even though I began at the kettle ready to make a cup of tea. But what can I say, it was 6pm after a long day of work and I just needed to unwind.

I wasn't going to watch Days, or some rubbish other programme that was trying to be entertaining, so instead I settled for e News in isiZulu. Not that I'm fluent or wanted to watch the news. It was just a good spot to stop thinking. But then, a story about another uMlungu and using taxis caught my attention... Without understanding the dialogue, I wondered if he was a do-gooder breaking the social divide (can you see my own guilt creeping in their). Commuters were interviewed, the taxi driver was interviewed and then Alex was interviewed... if my eyes were closed, I would have thought he was a black man! He spoke fluently and turns out he is a conductor / door man on the taxis who takes your money, and gives you change.

I love this place. mmmmm Mzansi for sure!

Durban, get ready!

In only 9 sleeps, over 300 youth delegates will have arrived in Durban to attend the 7th Conference of the Youth (COY7), which aims to mobilise, unite and build capacity among the youth to strengthen their voice about climate change.

How will they get from their accommodation to the conference at Howard College?
And beyond that, how will the expected 20 000 international delegates arriving for COP17 (the 17th Conference of the Parties) commute from their accommodation and side events to the conference at the ICC?

Well, where there's money to be made and destinations to reach, it wont take long for the taxis to provide an extra taxi or two along their existing routes, or even deviate slightly from their existing routes to offer their services. Informal public transport can be terribly efficient! Now we just need to let them know that it's happening!!!

watch this space...

Check out the new "Map" tab

I've begun using google maps to locate different taxi ranks in Durban. It's a bit slow right now, but I will be adding more and more ranks, so watch this space!

4 months later (part 2)

This is what you can expect downtown in Durban on your way home from work or the shops by the Workshop...

4 months later (part 1)

It was 18 April 2011 when I left my car at the mechanics to have the rust removed and it resprayed. It's still there and I'm still taking taxis. I'm now familiar with how much they cost, how often they run on m route and how to plan to be on time... some of the time. If I choose to take a taxi to a new destination for the first time, I know to give my self about an hour extra so that I can ask enough people and familiarise myself with the route, stops and fares.

All this time I have been commenting on my taxi experience, but the biggest part of the whole public transport experience has been walking. The time walking has been revolutionary for me! If it takes me 45 min to get to work - I spend 30 min of that walking to and from the taxi rank. Admittedly, sometimes walking is inconvenient - especially when you'r carrying your office! I have been lugging my laptop, papers, stationary and books to work everyday but I'm grateful to have an awesome satchel. And try walking with your satchel, shopping bags AND and umbrella to keep you dry in weather like today....

But for the 2 weeks in between that I borrowed a car, and I honestly missed walking... People always say we should slow down, exercise and spend time reflecting, all of which you do when you're walking! Not to mention the sense of community that grows on you when you're walking in your neighbourhood. And being down town on foot in peak traffic with workers earning a honest day's living - it's uBuntu - acknowledging that your identity in inextricably linked to your community.

Some drivers...

It's so cliched to say that women are bad drivers, especially when insurance companies are even giving better rates to women than men at a certain age (typically they identify the type of men that are into drag-racing and the like) but really, ALL types of drivers pick up bad habits!

Dare I defend taxi drivers? Well, people keep asking me if passengers complain when a taxi driver is cutting in or blocking traffic... so, here's my best attempt at sharing my experiences....

I've been in a taxi at the beginning of peak hour, when the main aim is to drop off a load as fast as possible and get back to the rank to pick up another load - I braced against the dash board and tried not to look at the speedometer which was shaking at 140km/hr.
Like many of you, I've also driven passed several accidents involving taxis (this is worse when you're in a taxi going passed) but couldn't this be explained statistically - taxis spend more time on the road than private vehicles and like trucks they can be categorised. We don't ever make a point to say "oh, another white bakkie was in an accident", or "sudans are always in accidents"...
I've also been in a South Beach taxi that trawls the streets for passengers, stopping anywhere and everywhere it likes, as well as a taxi to Wentworth in the Bluff and it has stopped 5m ahead of the bus stop and blocked traffic for no special reason.

Other than these occurences, the drivers are very courteous - did you know that there is an unwritten rule that  you don't smoke in taxis? One day a lady got out of her taxi and marching along next to me exclaimed, "Can you believe it! That driver was so rude! he was smoking in the taxi?!" - Hawu ayingege!!!

In 3 months of taking the LaLucia taxi, I don't think I've driven with the same taxi driver more than twice... And every taxi driver is different - some look like they've been awake all night and you dare not complain, others are pumping gospal tunes and seem to enjoy life, others just get on with the job and don't pass a word... Generally, they respect the passengers and just want to get as many people from A to B.

quiet campus

By sheer coincidence, I travel the routes commonly known to local students...

On my way to work at Bioregional, I walk passed the Durban University of Technology (DUT) on the way to the Umhlanga Rocks rank which takes me to LaLucia. And on my way home, I take the Howard College taxi which takes students from town to the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Howard College campus. It's July holidays and all students are very evidently on vacation because Steve Biko road in front of DUT is deserted. Not even the tables selling fruit are there to make a living. And the Howard College taxis are now sharing their route with the Glenmore taxis because passengers to UKZN are so few. The two routes are territory of the same association, so this is most economical for the taxi owners...

You have to admire the natural adaptability of the informal system - perfect market reaction to a reduction in demand!

only in SA

I'm sure you couldn't ask a taxi (minibus) driver to turn around if you were in London... Well, in fact, I didn't even ask this taxi driver to turn around - he offered...

It was 12:30 - I had a meeting in town at 13:30 and was on route, only to get a phone call to say that it was canceled. Because it was off peak, the taxi wasn't full and we were trawling for passengers along the main roads. I immediately asked the driver if he could let me jump off where I could catch another taxi back to La Lucia. We were about 7 km for the stop where I got on, but he said, "No problem, I'll take you back." Wow, I was so surprised! And he never charged me more!

You can't accommodate that kind of kindness in a timetable or with a formal, regulated public transport system.

movin' anda shakin'

The Durban Ice-Rink is not what it used to be! There were red carpets and guest speakers. It has been revamped to house the new Olive Convention Centre, where I attended a Pre-COP17 meeting today hosted by the KZN Departnment of Evironmental Affairs. I stepped out of the venue after meeting some key delegates, said good bye to my boss and hopped on the People Mover for the first time.

During peak time it only cost me R4 and my ticket was valid for 1 hr, which means that you can catch the exchange busses at no addtional charge!

This trendy guy sitting next to me answered my question about the closest stop to City Hall where I needed to cross over to get to the Howard College taxi on Monty Naiker st (old Pine st). I was on the Kings Park to uShaka bus, and needed to exchange at Anton Lembede (old Smith st) to get on the bus heading towards market.

It was like being in London or New York, catching the regular city busses but I'M IN DURBAN! Next step to the first world (African style though) is bus route maps integrated with taxi ranks and routes... The trendy guy was from Bloemfontein, and he had also been to London. He said that it's taken him so much longer to work out our public transport system than when he was figuring out the underground... "Well", I said to him "watch this space!"

Brushing up on your times tables

There are generally 2 types of taxis - those that trawl the busy routes (like the South Beach and North Beach taxis) and those that have fewer destinations and/or longer distances (like the LaLucia taxi or Howard College taxi). The first kind generally have conductors that hang out the window and attract attention to get as many passengers as possible - they also collect the money and issue change; and I presume they make a portion of the profits, hence the incentive to get as many passengers as possible. They gauge the fee according to point of pick up and drop off give or take a rand or two. 

The second kind queue at their designated taxi rank (many are dotted around down town, like the Umlazi, Umhlanga Rocks, or Pinetown taxi ranks) and depart when the taxi is full with passengers. They are willing to stop along the way as per passenger requests, but because they are not likely to replace passengers at these random drop off spots, there is a set fee. So for instance, I pay R6 on the Howard College taxi to be dropped off just beyond St Augustine Hospital, but the driver doesn't usually collect other passengers along the way so I pay the same as the rest of the passengers going straight to Howard College.

In these second kind of taxis there are no conductors. Everyone hands there money forward once they're in the taxi, and take their own change where possible. So if you're near the driver and confident to take the money, people hand you a sum and say how many passengers it is for - such as "3 passengers" and a R20 note, or "4" and a handful of coins - and you have to give the change, and in your head tally how many passengers you've received money from...

3 x 6 = 18

4 x 6 = 24

...

16 x 6 = 96

Yesterday I sat in poll position, next to the taxi driver, and had to brush up on my 6 x tables! I was giving change, remembering how many passengers have paid, checking the total was correct and pretending like it was all cool. (I like maths when you have pen and paper, not the stuff you do in your head!)

a weekend car trend

I keep promising myself that when I eventually get my car back I will still take taxis and consider alternative transport. It seems ludicrous that I ever drove over to my brother's place which is just up over the road, and that anyone would ever want to go into town in their car, when parking is a nightmare and taxis are much more convenient. And the health and happiness benefits of walking to church or cycling to meetings in my neighbourhood are very understated - I know my neighbourhood so much better now and feel much more a part of Durban than ever before... I recognise friends and locals on the street!

More encouraging than my own revelation, was a conversation I had with the man at Vodacom in Gateway, who was sorting out my blackberry. He was saying that his friends and neighbours in KwaMashu know that he has a car but that he still takes a taxi to work during the week. He says that its so much cheaper and more convenient taking a taxi during the week! R20/day compared to R60/day (when you include parking), and the time difference is minimal. He loves his car on the weekends and "cruizes" all over but during the weekend he still takes taxis... There is hope for us all yet!

Howard College route

On the same strip along Monty Naiker St (old Smith St) opposite the Workshop, where I used to catch the Tollgate, Moore road taxis, I found the Howard College taxi by chance.

View Larger Map
It stops at St Augustine's Hospital which is much closer to home for me. It flies up the N3 and takes the off ramp just before J B Marks Ave (old Chelmsford rd), passed St Augustine's and then it turns right onto Maize rd and goes left on Mazisi Kunene rd (old South Ridge rd) towards Howard College Campus - UKZN. I haven't tried it out from campus yet, but I know someone out there has - do tell us which way it goes back down to town?

the blue collar bustle

In hindsight, I may say that it was a great opportunity to experience Durban, to flow through the heart of our city during rush hour, and to be part of the hum. But today, taking a taxi was as ordinary as a day's work.

No taxis go directly from Glennwood to the uMhlanga Rank (below DUT), in fact, they all go in the exact opposite direction. It makes perfect economic sense for them to do this because generally they're taking the working class to work and back home again. It has made me rethink the title of my blog. The adventures of this little mlungu should be rephrased to the "blue collar bustle".

Today the blue collar bustle took me 20 min to walk from my front door to the rank. Then a brief wait for the taxi to fill up and a direct ride to La Lucia - 30 min, and then another walk to my office - 15 min. And that's how we ordinary workers get to work.

weather permitting

Rain! Rain! Go away, come back another day!

I thought to myself a few weeks back that I was fortunate to begin this adventure in autumn/winter because it would not be pleasant walking in the heat of summer to a from the taxi ranks. As it was, I could work up a sweat. But it never occurred to me that I would be guarding against the rain in May. As you know, Durban is renowned for its wonderful dry and warm winters... there is something to be said for climate variation when all the mamma's on the taxis are shocked to be having to battle with rain in our winter. Fortunately a friend from Cape Town is visiting and kindly brought me a few things that I had left there, namely my raincoat!

liberating or free

When I reported on taking my first taxi, I said it was the most liberating thing to do... and my sentiments have not changed but there is a distinction between freedom from and freedom to, as any good philosophy student should know.

If we call "freedom from" liberating, then taking a taxi for the first time broke personal barriers for me and I was free from the feeling of being an outsider in my own city. I can't tell you how many people have assumed I'm from Germany or Sweden, just because I'm uMlungu not afraid to take a taxi! Everyone from the local Indian guys selling me fruit on West street across from where I work, to even the black foreigners who want a passport to another country (green is all I got buddie).

La Lucia Taxi Rank

And if we just say that being free is to be "free to..." then I must say I didn't feel very free to get anywhere on time today standing in the long queues during rush hour. At 8am this morning, a lady told me to "zip it" - seriously! 3 of us standing the same queue had been sent back when the taxi was full to rightfully stand in the front of the queue but she would have none of it. The other 2 protested but she wouldn't hear any of it; we had to go to the back of the queue.

And this afternoon at La Lucia Taxi rank, I had over twenty pairs of eyes from vacuum packed cars staring at me - "she must be white trash", their calculated stares concluded. I'm going to make sure that public transport has a brand makeover!

Respect for the working MAN

I have enormous respect for working men! They have a different energy about them...
They have pride and purpose.

I was lost in admiration on a 4:30pm taxi ride home back from La Lucia to town, until I realised that I was the only woman in a car full of men. Ordinarily a little white girl is supposed to be afraid of 12 strange black men, but I gained an invaluable appreciation for the working class. I might go as far as saying that unemployment is worse than HIV/Aids because it deprives other men of this pride and purpose.
Taking taxis is worth the effort, even if it is just to experience each other.

Viva La Lucia!

Downtown detour

Someone has to learn from my mistakes because I'm not!
On Friday morning last week, I eagerly jumped into a full-looking taxi on Che Guevara Rd (old Moore Rd) heading downtown only to find out that the route down to South Beach is not the same as the route up from South Beach. Instead of going through market they go around it and down Dr Pixley Kasema St (old West St).

I needed to get to the spot where all the taxis depart for La Lucia (which is also where the Umhlanga taxis depart from). Its just behind the Engen if you're coming down the N3 through Warwick Junction towards the beach front.

View Larger Map

So I had to walk through the whole length of the market at 7:30 am. I might as well have walked from Berea Centre - you live and learn!

South Beach Taxis

Today I was running late.
I was running to Berea Centre where many taxis do a turn around loop to go back to town. It was late and taxis on the less busy routes become very few... I couldn't see any on Che Guevara Rd (old Moore Rd) so I kept going to Berea Centre and caught the first taxi heading down King Dinizulu Rd (old Berea Rd)... Bad move - I was the only passenger.. We trawled for people stopping at every busy intersection. The assistant would jump out and usher, whistle, and slap the sides of the taxi to attract attention and implore someone to jump in.

On the way home I didn't learn my lesson, I jumped into the nearest taxi: it was a South Beach Taxi.
They are famous for their one-of-a-kind hand signal and infamous for prowling the streets for passengers. Their route is well known (unless you're me of course): from South beach, through the CBD along Anton Lembede Rd (old Smith St), right at Julius Nyerere St, which takes you through Warwick Junction which everyone calls "the Market"... think of all the opportunities to stop to trawl for more passengers (it's a high turn over route, costing the passenger between only R2 and R4). Then left up Steve Biko Rd (old Mansfeild Rd) passed all the DUT students at Steve Biko campus, and left onto Botanic Gardens Rd, over the N3 to Berea Centre - heck that was long!

Simple strategies

If you’re in a hurry and are on the route your taxi is going, choose the taxi with the most passengers.

Taxis will head for the destination much faster if they are full. A full taxi is not a defined thing but can sometimes mean between 12 – 14 passengers. Some kind of variation of the diagram below is a safe measure of full. Unless you’re “do or die” desperate, I would caution against anything more full than this.

My first time

I got a lift to work in La Lucia on Friday morning with a friend, knowing that this would be the day I would catch my first minibus taxi in Durban. Never mind that I'm 25 and was born and raised here. If you're from Durban, you will inherently know that generally, whities don't take minibus taxies - because we believe that they're dangerous, we usually have our own cars, but MOSTLY because WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT WORKS! We don't know where to wait for a taxi, where they go, how often they come, or if we will arrive alive.

So I walked across to the obvious taxi rank near La Lucia Mall on Armstrong Ave and hopped on to a spick 'n span taxi because I heard the taxi driver tell a woman that this taxi was going to "eThekwini", which means town in isiZulu and commonly refers to Durban town central (or the municipality but that's another matter).

We were off immediately and I learnt that it is the Taxi Driver's sole discretion as to when is the time to leave. It must depend on some rough schedule and whether there are enough people in the taxi. We trawled the main streets en route to town in order to fill up the seats - very economical! But these are the same taxis that stop wherever there's a potential passenger, whether there is a yellow line or not, but mostly they try to not obstruct traffic. As soon as the taxi was full we left the main route and headed towards the highway (M4). It took us max 15 min from when we left until the first call to stop, which was at Soldiers Way (this taxi was heading to the Market - the Warwick Junction Market). I had been advised to jump off at Soldiers Way, walk toward the Workshop and over the road to the taxies heading up Monty Naiker Road, and ask where the taxies going to Glenwood Spar are.
And that's as easy as it was!

Everyone was kind and helpful and to be honest, nobody thought it was that odd that this little Mlungu was catching a taxi with her laptop satchel and shopping bag. In fact, a lady asked me how much it was to town from La Lucia! Whe! At least I knew that much - it was only R10 and from the Workshop to Glenwood Spar it was only R4.