I hate a taxi
I tried to write this one in a family friendly way, I did my very best to try and phrase my frustration without being offensive, and after several edits, I managed to take out about 20 swearwords. It is also noteworthy to mention not every taxi driver is a bad one.
When asked the question on which car I hate the most, the answer will undoubtedly be the Toyota Siyaya, purely because of what it represents. The fair answer though will be any form of minivan, with one exception, the VW Hippie van, for obvious reasons.
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Toyota has a range of these unimaginative, unappealing breadbox cars. The list includes the Hi-Ace, Venture, Quantum, and Avanza, and there are some other manufacturers who also try to get a piece of this rotten minivan pie. Classed as a “lucrative business”, the taxi industry is growing exponentially, with every second Tom, Dick and Harry wanting to get their share of a quick buck.
It can be praised for being one of the backbones of this economy, empowering people. Taking the public to work, and in turn grow the economy. I call bullshit. How many times have these “businessmen” caused strikes because their business are “threatened” by a more economical, safer method of public transport, something this country is in desperate need of. They do not contribute to the economy. How much money do they make, and how much money goes under the table? How much is paid in bribes alone?
We all know how they drive. How many of us have been pushed off the road, got into an accident, or even worse, how many of us knows of someone who was killed because of the arrogant and complete lawlessness showed by some these drivers.
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The government now is trying to sit with them, to get to common grounds, to work together, like little kids they try to play along. They suggest limiting these taxis to a maximum of 80km/h, they try to subsidize these tin buckets, helping with the cost to keep them safe and roadworthy. All they are doing is giving the rest of us motorist a headache.
Limiting the speed will not make a difference, because they will still stop where they want, they will still force their way in, and they will in some cases still act violently if they caused an accident. They will still be lawless. Nothing civil will help the general motorist get rid of these bandits. NOTHING. All I can see that might work is some Mad Max style driving, a big shotgun, and a zero tolerance on taxi business and its drivers when it’s caught doing something stupid or reckless.
Why then then do I hate the Toyota Siyaya and its accomplices? Simple. It is misused, another example of what a car that is in its very essence unable to die, unless its set alight, it’s a car purposely built to destroy an otherwise pleasant day.
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It was built to carry a maximum of 12 people, with a 2.2 litre engine pushing out 75kw@5200 rpm and a maximum torque of 182nm@2400rpm. Add its advertised towing capacity of 1250 tons and then you get to a machine that cannot do what it was designed to do. The Toyota Quantum does not fare much better. Most Airlines uses an average weight for their passengers, and the figures I will use is from a very well-known British Airline. In this case a female is classed as 72kgs, a male as 90kgs, and children as 37kgs.
We set the scene with a long trip, having 6 ladies and 6 men, one driver, and a trailer with baggage at two bags each roughly 32kgs, now we add a full tank of fuel.
So the weight then is a whopping 1900kg. or 1.9 tonnes. Amazing? No. Putting it in perspective, the 2015 Kia Picanto pushes out 120nm torque at 4000rpm, the Ford Figo 1.4 TDCi gives you 140nm torque at 2000rpm, making it fair play, the Mazda bt250 3.2 puts out an impressive 470nm.
The point I am trying to make, these cars were built to be death traps, given to unexperienced idiots who do not have the ability to comprehend that driving around with so much weight with something that is top heavy, you cannot just push in, or take off. There is not enough power, the brakes have to work harder, and the general level of driving experience has to elevate. Put these monkeys through a specialized driving course, and penalize them with their licences if they do make a mistake.
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