From missing brakes to pushing broken vehicles, Joburg commuters face daily terror in dilapidated minibus taxis -- while struggling operators blame rising costs and a lack of state support.

Our experiences

The taxi looked perfectly fine from the outside until we got on the road. We were taking it from the Alexandra rank in Pan African Mall and were seated at the back.

Then we noticed that the driver's rearview mirror was nowhere to be seen and the brakes were not working properly. Every stop at the robots was harsh.

The 30-minute trip felt like an eternity, and panic was visible in the faces of other passengers as we all held tight to the seats in front for balance. The seats were worn out and uncomfortable, with almost no cushion between the wooden base.

While getting out of the taxi, my pants got ripped as I squeezed past the seat that folds up to let passengers pass, as its metal frame had sharp edges.

Then there's the reckless driving. Taxis speed, drive in lanes for oncoming traffic, and switch lanes without indicating, leaving passengers in panic, but few will speak up out of fear that the driver could tell a vocal passenger to get off the taxi.

Bheki C. Simelane

On Monday, I was in a taxi from Joburg to Chiawelo, Soweto. It looked like it was...