City of Masvingo (Taxi-Cab) By-laws, 2025
Masvingo taxi operators now pay US$120 a year for a permit plus US$10 to apply, must use designated ranks and routes, wear a council badge, and lose the permit on any traffic conviction.
These by-laws licence taxi-cabs — public service vehicles seating no more than four passengers — in the City of Masvingo.
No one may operate a taxi without a council operator's permit. Taxis may not stop to pick up or set down passengers other than at designated places, nor within seven metres of an intersection or corner, and may only use routes the council has designated. A driver may not prevent a passenger from engaging another taxi of their choice.
The permit runs to 31 December of the year it is granted. The council must cancel it if the holder is convicted of any traffic offence under the city's traffic by-laws, and the cancelled permit must be returned within seven working days.
At a rank, drivers must take their place in order of arrival and stop behind the last taxi. A council official may order a dirty or badly maintained taxi off the road until the defects are fixed, and drivers must be cleanly and decently dressed and behave civilly. The permit must be displayed conspicuously and produced on demand, and the driver must wear the council-issued badge, which remains council property and must be surrendered with the permit within 14 days of stopping work or of suspension or cancellation.
Fees are US$10 to apply and US$120 a year for the permit; the driver's badge and replacements are free. Penalties are US$20 for operating without a permit, stopping at an undesignated place, using an undesignated route, blocking a passenger's choice of taxi, operating a filthy taxi and failing to produce the licence on request, and US$10 for failing to display the permit. A contravention may also lead to impoundment of the vehicle or cancellation of the permit.
What changed
- A council operator's permit is required to run a taxi, costing US$10 to apply and US$120 a year
- Permits expire on 31 December and are cancelled on any traffic conviction
- Taxis must use designated ranks and routes and may not stop within seven metres of an intersection
- Drivers must wear a council badge and display the permit, surrendering both within 14 days of ceasing work
- Offences carry US$20, with vehicle impoundment or permit cancellation also available
Who this affects
- Taxi operators and drivers in Masvingo
- Taxi passengers
- Council traffic enforcement officers
Plain-language summary — not legal advice. Always read the full instrument.