After 14 months of work the upgraded Vredenburg Taxi Rank was officially opened on Monday (12 June).
As is the case with most other transport hubs the taxi rank is a flurry of daily activity and upgrades had to take place amid the daily activity. Since the start of the project last March the rank has been extended, road works were done and pavements were laid.
André Truter, Executive Mayor of Saldanha Bay, noted the importance of the taxi industry at the event. He urged taxi owners and the local taxi association to take ownership of the facility.
“You are at the centre of our economy,” he told members of the taxi association. “No taxis means no way for workers to get to work or home. This rank is a public interchange not only to local towns but to Cape Town, the Northern and even Eastern Cape. This upgrade was not an afterthought, but done with a vision, and not mere planning.”
According to Ettienne Swanepoel of Siroccon, the extension of the rank allows for 25 more taxis. Care was taken to make sure the rank is also pedestrian-friendly.
Work included the replacement of the former dilapidated roof and a new active box. This building houses public toilets and office space for the taxi association.
“Doing work in an active site like this comes with ‘fun and games’. Finding water pipes and dealing with aging infrastructure has its challenges but now this is a world-class facility,” Swanepoel said.
The project cost more than R16 million with more than R6 million spent locally and involved more than 42 000 man hours.
KS Nogemani, vice chair of the taxi association, thanked the municipality on behalf of taxi owners and drivers.
