Kunene, Joburg taxi bosses mull industry ownership of taxi ranks

Kunene and representatives from the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) and the National Taxi Alliance (NTA) in the greater Johannesburg region signed the protocol document on Wednesday.

The document aims to guide consultations between the city and the industry.

While the protocol is not a legal document, Santaco’s Velanto Thwala said signing it ensures a constructive approach to resolving challenges plaguing taxi operations.

“Signing this protocol document is very important because there are problems around the city that need to be resolved by both parties. This means everything will be resolved like taxi violence in the ranks, criminality which is escalating in the whole of the Joburg CBD.”

The industry has called for government to allow them to run taxi ranks, which they say have been poorly maintained, making them breeding grounds for criminality.

Kunene supports the proposal, saying this could be achieved by either donating, selling, or leasing the taxi ranks to industry players.

“The taxi industry is asking that the current taxi ranks must be operated by them, which means they must be the project managers of those taxi ranks. They want to be responsible for security, and maintenance.

“If we give them these taxi ranks to run on a 99-year lease, I am going to motivate and persuade the city to agree that transport must engage in that type of arrangement with them. We know that we’ll then hold them responsible for whatever activities happen at the taxi ranks,” said Kunene.

The MMC added that he can’t give immediate timelines for when this can be achieved, however, he has encouraged industry bosses to put their proposal in writing within seven days so his department can present it to the mayoral council.

Kunene says in an unofficial meeting with someone in the taxi business, the idea of repurposing abandoned buildings to accommodate taxi drivers was put to him. He told taxi bosses at the gathering to include this in their proposal to take over taxi ranks.

"[He] said they wanted to be given an abandoned building which they can renovate at their own cost so that they can house taxi drivers and their families. I felt that it was a good proposal, and it shows that the industry is now well organised. But also, with these abandoned buildings, the city doesn't generate any revenue.'

At the same time,  the NTA's Thamsanqa Moya says they hope this kind of agreement will permeate through provincial and national structures with the aim of improving the customer experience and contributing meaningfully to the economy. 

He says there are also plans to change the face of taxi ranks, to make them multi-purpose facilities, and engagements on this have reached a critical stage. 

"We are engaging with a certain company which I won't reveal now, that will bring a different brand of taxi ranks where you will find creches, gymnasiums, libraries, and all sorts of things that we need for our drivers and the commuters so they have the option to drop their kids and go to work and so on."

Moya says, with the signing of agreements expected to take place in a few weeks, he believes Pretoria will be the first to benefit from the "taxi rank of the future".