Game They Play

"Bodging" It's A Game They Play With Fiji's Taxis

By a Staff Writer

Fiji transport officials, who

examined a taxi which came to them recently for the issue of a certificate of fitness, found that the differential had been packed with sawdust.

THAT is only one example of “bodging” discovered recently by examining officers.

“Bodging” is a term the officers use for not making a good job, patch ing up, making do, or doing some thing wrong and trying to get away with it.

The officials say that some of the “bodging” is a deliberate attempt by taxi-owners to deceive them, but in many cases the owners themselves are deceived by back street garages.

“When the “sawdust taxi” first went in for examination, a certificate of fitness was refused, and the owner was given a list of defects to attend to. There were faults in the steering, brakes and transmission.

The taxi went back for inspection four times, and each time a certificate was refused because the defects had not been remedied satisfactorily. By this time the taxi owner was rather irate, because the vehicle was off the road and he had spent a lot of money having the defects “repaired”.

Odd Sound At the fourth inspection the exam ining officers were suspicious of an odd sound, and found the sawdust.

The owner knew nothing about it until the examining officers found it.

What words passed between the owner and his garage have not been revealed.

Another taxi that the examining officers inspected had a half turn of free play in the steering wheel be fore it gripped. When this same taxi was put on the ramp it started to run off. Both the hand brake and foot brake were ineffective, and when the taxi was put into gear the clutch slipped.

The brake master cylinder was leaking, and the handbrake cable had stretched so much that two knots had been tied in it. One door panel had been resprayed. On examination

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it was found that rust had left a large hole. A piece of cardboard had been stuck over the hole from the in side panel and a thin coating of a plastic substance had been used to cover the cardboard on the outside.

The taxi was not relicensed.

In one case a taxi only seven months old was refused a certificate of fitness.

There was free play of half a turn in the steering, the linkage was worn out, and the front suspension was buckled. The floor in the back of the taxi had so many holes in it that it was in two parts with a large gap between. There were no engine mountings and the engine was rest ing on the front chassis frame.

Fatal Accident Another vehicle had been involved in a fatal accident. The footbrake and the handbrake did not work and the steering was so stiff that con siderable force had to be used to turn the wheel.

Another case concerned a bus for which a certificate of fitness was issued. The next day a second bus from the same company was sent in for a certificate of fitness.

Unfortunately for the owner, an examining officer earlier in the day had seen the first bus parked on the road near the owner’s house. It had no gearbox and it was found that it had been removed and fitted to the second bus.

In another case a taxi was re fused a certificate because of a bad knock in the engine. A few days later it was back with the engine running smoothly and a certificate was issued.

Bad Knock Not long afterwards an examining officer saw the taxi being driven along the street. The engine again had a bad knock. On inspection it was found that another engine had been put in so that the taxi would qualify for a certificate. Immediately the certificate was issued that engine was removed and the old one was put back.

Other cases of “bodging” found by inspectors include burring worn king pins with a punch to make them feel tight and safe, and the use of weak mild steel bolts where high tensile steel is needed for safety.

One enterprising man did a lucrative trade hiring out good tyres for vehicles due for inspection. Im mediately after the inspection they came off, and back went the old, worn ones.