Kabelo Tlhabanelo a
Everybody knows, if you lose your valuables on public transport, you probably have to kiss them goodbye.
But taxi drivers from section L, M, and N in Botshabelo, Free State have changed that perception by starting an initiative in 2019 to help reunite passengers with their valuables.
One of the lost and found organisers, Tsietsi Masithela, said they know the pain of forgetting personal items in a taxi.
“We have had many items forgotten in our taxis,” he said.
“We have managed to return items like cell phones, handbags with money, smart ID cards, and keys, among many other things.”
Masithela said that they also rely on trustworthy passengers, who return items to the taxi driver when they find them on the backseat.
He said they use Facebook to alert the passengers about their recovered items.
“We would get a phone call from the owner and we ask certain questions to confirm before handing the items back.”
Dimakatso Mokhathi, a passenger from L section, told Scrolla.Africa she had forgotten her handbag with R1,250 inside, in a taxi.
“I had lost hope that I would get the money back and I was worried about my cards,” she said.
But after phoning the rank she was told that her bag had been found.
“I was over the moon. I’m happy with this initiative. I urge passengers to be helpful if they find something in the taxi,” she said.
Thapelo Mosiuoa, who’s from the M section, said he was reunited with his Samsung cell phone last October.
“I got my phone back the following day after searching for the taxi I boarded,” he said.
