Johannesburg - If all the registered minibus taxis in Gauteng were parked end-to-end they would reach from Joburg to Pretoria and back again.
On Monday, Parliament heard that registered taxi operating licences issued nationally number 104 377 and were issued between 2002 and 2014.
Gauteng has the most taxis with 26 590.
A Toyota Ses’fikile 16-seater minibus - the standard taxi - is about 538cm long, so the Gauteng taxis would make a line 143km long.
Parliament also heard that there were 2 713 formal taxi ranks countrywide. More than two-thirds - 1 852 ranks - are in Gauteng.
The information came from Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters, in response to questions from DA MPs.
Mpumalanga is probably the most annoying place to commute in, as it has the second-highest number of taxis, at 15 252, but the fewest formal ranks - just seven.
The number of registered taxi licences in each province are: Eastern Cape 6 798; Free State 9 094; Gauteng 26 590; KZN 14 232; Limpopo 10 746; Mpumalanga 15 252; Northern Cape 2 463; North West 11 338; and Western Cape 7 864.
The number of formal taxi ranks in each province is: Eastern Cape 77; Free State 235; Gauteng 1 852; KZN 152; Limpopo 32; Mpumalanga 7; Northern Cape 33; North West 85; and Western Cape 240.
The Star