Search for alternative space for Bellville taxis

The ongoing closure of the Bellville taxi rank after a shooting incidents has led to chaos in the area as taxis seek a place to park. Picture: Henk Kruger/ANA/African News Agency

The ongoing closure of the Bellville taxi rank after a shooting incidents has led to chaos in the area as taxis seek a place to park. Picture: Henk Kruger/ANA/African News Agency

Published Sep 4, 2020

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Cape Town - The ongoing closure of the Bellville taxi rank after a shooting incidents has led to chaos in the area as taxis seek a place to park.

Stakeholders, including the City, have been meeting to find a solution to the continued closure.

In an effort to provide an amicable solution to the displaced Bellville taxis issue the City, in partnership with other stakeholders, is looking into ways it can resolve the issue and provide assistance to the troubled sector.

The Belleville taxi rank which has been temporarily shut down for the past week has caused some discomfort for both the taxi industry and its commuters some of whom rely on the public transport service to travel on a daily basis.

Chairperson of the transport portfolio Angus Mckenzie, said: “Certain lanes in the Bellville taxi rank were closed due to ongoing shooting.

“We’ve now decided to identify an alternative space for the Bellville taxis, and from there we will start the process of identifying and implementing such measures. It’s obviously not ideal to have closed the rank but we support the MEC’s decision in closing the rank.

“We can’t allow taxi operators to act like a law unto themselves, placing commuters’ lives at risk.”

Mayco Member for Transport, Felicity Purchase said: “The minibus-taxi operators currently cannot hold their vehicles on the site opposite the Bellville Public Transport Interchange (PTI) due to insufficient space available there for holding purposes”.

“The City conducted a site inspection at the Bellville PTI on August 19 2020 to ascertain the extent of the existing issues.

“Discussions are currently under way to finalise possible solutions in addressing the matter”.

Cape Argus

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Public Transport