Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in Gauteng officially opened a new taxi rank this weekend, which sees a portion of the mall’s parking lot converted to accommodate public transport operators.
Under the signed lease agreement with Menlyn Taxi Association, Mamelodi Amalgamated Taxi Association, regional leadership of the Tshwane Taxi Industry, and Menlyn Park Shopping Centre, provision has been made for two taxi facilities inside the mall accommodating 135 standard minibus taxis and 18 larger long-distance midi-buses.
As part of the contract, space was also made for informal traders.
It has been agreed that four informal traders are permitted to trade inside the taxi holding facility and on the street, particularly the Atterbury Road side of the mall.
“The launch of the Menlyn Taxi Rank speaks to our whole-of-society approach where the City works together with communities, the private sector, and businesses to improve services and build a City that works for all its people,” said councillor Cillier Brink, executive mayor of Tshwane, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Two birds with one stone
The new Menlyn taxi rank comes as a great relief to many residents and motorists in the area who have suffered the inconvenience of operational chaos and severe congestion in Lois Avenue for well over a decade, which was largely caused by the lack of dedicated public transport facilities.
Additionally, it addresses a major headache for taxi owners and operators, who often complain that when construction projects are erected there is little to no provision made for them.
According to CEO of The Justice Fund, Lorenzo Davids, when new infrastructure is built where taxis will undoubtedly have to travel to in order to pick up and drop off commuters, they are not involved in the discussions and are rarely if ever accommodated when the plans are being finalised.
This is despite taxis being responsible for transporting in excess of 3.7 million workers each day over a total of 10 million trips.
As such, taxi operators are usually left to make their own arrangements once the developments are complete, which has seen informal roadside taxi ranks pop up in popular business and shopping areas around the country.