kombi, combi, noun

/ˈkɒmbi/, /ˈkɔmbi/, /ˈkʊmbi/
Forms:
Also combie, kombie, and with initial capital.
Origin:
GermanShow more Transferred use of proprietory name Kombi a Volkswagen minibus (abbreviation of German Kombiwagen, from Kombination combination + Wagen car).
1. Any minibus, especially one used to transport passengers commercially. Also attributive, and combination  kombi-load noun, kombi-type adjective.
1964 H.H.W. De Villiers Rivonia 41He arranged with one Suliman to bring two Kombis (small motor buses) to a garage at Orlando.
1975 Drum 22 Sept. 44Ask them to help push the kombie which does not seem to want to start.
1979 W. Ebersohn Lonely Place 166He saw the Kombi first — a small bus — standing at 45 degrees with the road.
1983 Commission of Inquiry into Bus Passenger Transport (RP50–1983) 24The ‘taxi industry’..consists of the ordinary legal taxi.., the legal kombi-type taxi that is normally used as a minibus and the pirate taxi that is in most cases a kombi-type of vehicle and used illegally.
1984 H. Zille in Frontline Mar. 10He no longer drives his gold Valiant. Along with thousands of township taximen throughout South Africa, Jabu now runs a kombi (and like the rest, he pronounces it koombi).
1989 D. Briscoe in Motorist Oct.–Dec. 5The road is in fair to good condition and negotiable by car and combi.
1990 D. Beckett in Frontline Mar.–Apr. 10We lash our broken Starwagon behind his Landrover and cover the 60 kilometres to Beaufort West...We have a chaotic combi-load of bags and blankets and buckets and spades.
1990 R. Stengel January Sun 22Buda owns the township’s largest taxi service — six cars. The taxis, known as kombis, are actually small vans that can seat about eight comfortably, but usually carry twelve or thirteen.
1992 E. Jayiya in Pace Sept. 168Dumisani Buthelezi believes his new sleek combi will be a hit. ‘It’s a modified version of the Hi-Ace.’
2. combination.
kombi taxi, taxi sense 1. Also attributive.
[1983 M. Du Plessis State of Fear 4The police are intimidating the people from the townships who run combi-bus taxis, demanding to see their licenses.]
1984 H. Zille in Frontline Mar. 12What justification could there be to crush the burgeoning kombi-taxi business, that creates thousands of jobs unaided?
1988 Star 26 Apr. 4The incidence of combi taxi accidents was no higher than other passenger vehicles, the Minister of Transport said yesterday.
1988 Technical Info. for Industry (C.S.I.R.) Sept. 2The ‘combi-taxi’ has become an increasingly popular form of public transport. The..CSIR has researched this form of minibus-transport, and the reasons for its rapid growth and success.
1990 C. McCaul No Easy Ride (S.A.I.R.R) 35From about 1977..taxi-operators — new entrants as well as those formerly operating sedan vehicles — began introducing 10-seater minibuses (kombitaxis) on to feeder and commuter routes...Ten-seater minibuses were legalised as taxis (but to carry only eight passengers) in 1978 and 16-seaters (to carry 15 passengers) in 1986.
1990 New African 11 June 8Are kombi taxis as safe as their owners maintain?
1991 S. De Villiers on M-Net TV 12 Mar.A new initiative to establish a working liason with the combi-taxi association.
1993 Africa S. & E. July 10The legal traders come by bus, many by kombi taxi and a few by plane.
Any minibus, especially one used to transport passengers commercially. Also attributive, and combination  kombi-load noun, kombi-type adjective.
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19641993

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kombi taxi

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German
kombers, nounn.kombuis, nounn.
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