Originally published on Melville & Parktown, November 21, 2018.
The tuk-tuk industry in Melville has been bustling since 2013. With competitors such as Uber and Taxify, some drivers are getting creative in order to carve out a living for themselves and their families.
Two blue tuk-tuks are parked at the back of the of the Melville Spar parking lot on Main road. The harsh October sun beats down, transforming the small three-wheeled vehicles into something resembling a baking oven. Innocent Mbonane sits inside one of the tuk-tuks, sweat dripping down his face while he waits for his next customer.
An elderly lady walks towards Mbonane and his colleague, Nicholas Masondo. She holds a walking stick in one hand and gingerly pushes a trolley filled with the groceries she’s just bought with the other. Mbonane rushes to her aid and pushes the trolley the rest of the way.
Vuyelwa Fikeni patiently waits while Mbonane loads her groceries into his tuk-tuk. She’s radiating with an infectious, happy energy. Just before she climbs into the vehicle, she says, “I have been using tuk-tuks for years!” Mbonane climbs behind the wheel and whisks her to The Village complex where she lives in Westdene, a mere four-mintue drive from the Spar – too far for her to walk to do her groceries but close enough to use a tuk-tuk.
A few minutes later, Mbonane returns, carrying another passenger. Bridget Kamangira has been using tuk-tuks as a fast means of transport for five months to travel between work and home. “Uber is expensive but tuk-tuks are cheaper,” she says.
PATIENCE: The heat wears Innocent Mbonane down as he waits for his next customer in the Melville Spar parking lot.
Mbonane drops Kamangira, parks his tuk-tuk next to that of Masondo and again waits for his next customer. He says that this can take up to an hour as he settles into the spacious back seat of his blue tuk-tuk and takes a sip of his water. Mbonane has been driving for e tuk-tuk for two years and encouraged Masondo to join as a driver three months ago.
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