Taxi associations, Gauteng govt to adopt taxi ranks

The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) and the National Taxi Alliance (NTA), along with the Roads and Transport MEC Jacob Mamabolo and Johannesburg Mayor Geoff Makhubo, piloted prevention measures at the Bara Taxi Rank is Soweto on Monday morning.

The provincial government has, as part of its effort to flatten the curve, taken a leaf out of Gautrain's book by procuring e-health booths and placing them at one of the city's busiest ranks.

The Gauteng chapter of the NTA will head up a taxi rank in Tshwane, Santaco will be in charge of Sangweni Taxi Rank in Tembisa, NTA adopted Germiston Taxi Rank, the Randburg taxi rank will be led by the provincial secretary of Santaco and Mamabolo will lead the MTN taxi rank in Johannesburg.

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The groups will take collective responsibility for Bara Taxi Rank due to its size.

Santaco general-secretary Khazamula Tshabalala says the lockdown caught the taxi industry by surprise.

"When the president announced the lockdown - as the taxi association - we didn't know what to do because taxis was the only left to transport essential workers.

"But we put our heads together and said what is next? We started organising sanitiser, organising gloves and masks and making sure that we run the country.”

Tshabalala says a decision was taken to procure disinfectant booths due to the fact that more people need to be transported under Level 4 of the lockdown.

"As a taxi industry together with government and the city, of course, we are gearing up and we are ready to take Gauteng forward.

"And we have decided yesterday that as the leaders of the industry together with government - being the chairperson of Santaco, chairperson of GNTA and the board and secretaries - will each adopt a taxi rank that we will take care of.

"The MEC has adopted the MTN taxi rank and others will adopt other ranks from different regions to make sure that all our taxis are being sanitised, clean.”

Tshabalala adds that taxi managers will be appointed to enforce the regulations.

"We've put up teams. We have management that are running with the teams so we are sure as the taxi industry we are geared up and ready for challenges coming."

Mamabolo says the booths will run until the end of May, after which the department will decide whether or not the method is effective.