Private road transport can be likened to a child born of the quality of public transport facilities, which grows until it fills the empty spaces left by the public sector. In Johannesburg it is provided by taxi and the all-important tour operators. It covers Johannesburg, its surrounding areas in a radius that includes Pretoria and Muldersdrift, or even as a point of departure to countrywide tourist attractions, such as the Kruger Park or Cape Town. Road tour operators cater mainly for tourists and are often part of the tourist package, taxis for both tourists and residents.
Taxis
As in other parts of the world, there are many taxi operators in this city and most hotels and even the telephone directory, can help one find a reputable operator.
As mentioned in the home page, a peculiarity exists in the city's taxi services which arose in the Apartheid years. As part of this policy, the black majority were forced to reside far from 'white' areas, which includes commercial and industrial districts, where the jobs are.
Available provincial and government bus and train services to and from work soon became so inadequate as the country developed, that a black initiative became imperative, and it gave rise to a 7-16 passenger per vehicle minibus taxi industry to cover travel to and within the city precincts. It doesn't operate a metered charge service but has passengers pay a flat rate between R7 and R15 per trip depending on the embarkation point. This service is safe, although the drive can be raucus as he drivers constantly hoot/honk to attract passengers, who get on and off at random points along the route.
These taxis are easily recognisable: they are most commonly Japanese minibuses with a preponderance of Toyota Quantums. There is no rooftop "Taxi" sign but they constantly hoot and will take you near where you're going, and very cheaply at R9 -15 per average trip.