By James Mahlokwane 
15m ago
Pretoria – Talks regarding the opening of the R12 million Centurion taxi rank are ongoing.
The City of Tshwane also said it had committed to providing shade, recycling bins and an overflow area.
The facility was previously shunned and ridiculed by the taxi industry. Taxi associations at the time described the rank as a waste of government money, saying it lacked essentials like shade and bunks, which rendered the facility complete.
Joint chairperson of the Tshwane taxi industry – comprising the National Taxi Alliance and the South African National Taxi Council – Abner Tsebe previously called it “just a big parking lot”.
He said the City had not consulted with the industry before building the facility.
Tshwane MMC for roads and transport Dikeledi Selowa yesterday said discussions to open the taxi rank were fruitful.
Selowa said: “Last week we held a meeting with the resident operator, Centurion Taxi Association, together with other stakeholders.
“The meeting was progressive, with robust discussions addressing several concerns.
Following the meeting we are pleased to announce that all parties have committed to the process of relocating to the new taxi rank.
“The relocation process will happen gradually, over a period of a few weeks. It is a mammoth task that involves transferring taxi operations made up of over 10 different associations into the new facility.”
The facility will accommodate 55 taxis, and include offices for local taxi associations and space for informal traders. More than 15 000 commuters are expected to use the facility daily.
The official opening will be communicated once everything has been ironed out.
Pretoria News
Credit IOL