Mtshebeni Taxi Rank in Inanda as part of the Broader Ink Node Project,
Durban
25 May 2006
Master of ceremonies
MEC of Transport Community Safety and Liaison
Executive Mayor of the City of Ethekwini
Councillors
Members of the media
Transport officials, taxi operators
Esteemed guests and members of the community
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
A very good morning to you all
It gives me great pleasure to officially open yet another landmark in
transport infrastructure. The public transport facilities, which have been
built here, are intended to improve access within the Inanda Ntzuma Kwa-Mashu
(INK) node and the broader metropolitan area and eliminating bottlenecks in the
transport system.
The Department of Transport together with the Ethekwini Transport Authority
and other key stakeholders have worked tirelessly in improving these public
transport facilities.
The upgrading of public transport facilities at Mtshebeni on the existing
taxi rank included the provision of:
* a taxi rank roof
* bus lay-byes
* sidewalks
* ablution facilities
* taxi office
* ticket kiosk
* storage facilities for the hawkers
The other public transport facilities, which were also provided at the Mamba
Stores, include the upgrading of:
* a traffic circle to enable bus-turning movements
* a paved sidewalks
* bus lay-byes.
The Department has spent R6 000 000 on this project. The significance of
these projects is to facilitate the movement and transfer of passengers between
various modes and leverage business opportunities at the public transport
interchanges. As you are all aware the success of our economic growth hinges
primarily on the efficiency of our public transport system and its
infrastructure networks.
This project forms part of a series of inter-modal facilities that are being
targeted to promote efficiency in public transport. The Department has just
finalised the development of Taxi Facility Guidelines for the new taxis, to
ensure that adequate parking bays for larger vehicles are being provided. The
implementation of these guidelines will be done concurrently with the roll-out
of the new taxi vehicles.
The taxi industry by far transports the biggest number of passengers on any
given day compared to both rail and bus sectors. The Taxi Recapitalisation
Programme (TRP) is an intervention by government to bring about safe,
effective, reliable, affordable and accessible taxi operations by introducing
New Taxi Vehicles designed to undertake public transport functions in the taxi
industry.
The TRP is not only about scrapping old taxi vehicles, but also about how best
taxi operators can be assisted to benefit constructively in the industry
through empowerment. It is about taking into consideration taxi operators; rank
marshals, drivers; cleaners in terms of empowerment. Through the introduction
of the New Taxi Vehicles in the TRP, Government has for the first time
prescribed âcompulsory safety and other requirementsâ to protect the
passengers, operators, pedestrians, motorists and other road users. The
compulsory requirements are also meant to ensure passenger comfort.
Yesterday, the meeting of the Minister and Members of executive (MECs)
considered various issues in the transport environment. We are particularly
upbeat about the progress made in the implementation of the Taxi
Recapitalisation Project. We are convinced, despite the challenges we still
face, that we are in a better position than ever before to implement the Taxi
Recap. We discussed the issue of the availability of the New Taxi Vehicles,
which will come in three categories, namely:
* M1 Minibus to carry 9 to 16 people including the driver
* M2 Minibus to carry 17 to 28 people including the driver
* M2 Minibus to carry 29 to 35 people including the driver
We were satisfied as MinMEC of the progress made thus far by manufacturers
in bringing in New Taxi Vehicles that meet the safety specifications. We also
agreed to consult with the taxi industry on colour coding, which will be part
of the new taxi fleet.
We commend the response by the industry to the conversion process. About 80%
of registered operators have applied for conversion. We remain committed to the
31 May deadline and call on the remaining 20% to apply before the deadline.
Operators that feel that for uncontrolled reason they could not apply on time
would have to apply to the Operating Licensing Boards and provide motivations
on why their late applications should considered.
Over and above the taxi recapitalisation programme, the department has just
introduced a conditional grant known as Public Transport Infrastructure Grant,
which will assist municipalities with implementation of roads infrastructure
and related projects for 2010 and beyond. It is anticipated that the Public
Transport Infrastructure Grant will fund infrastructure investment of R3,5
billion over the medium term.
During the implementation of this project labour-intensive methods were
employed and about 31 community members were employed during the implementation
phase. The taxi rank is now being used by about 200 taxis that ferry commuters
in and around the township and to the city of Durban. The department is also
working with the sector departments to build synergies and partnerships in
stimulating local economic development whilst at the same time, it is ensuring
accessibility to essential services.
Let me take this opportunity to congratulate all the stakeholders who made
this project a success.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Transport
25 May 2006
