Transporters move to new bus rank

BONIFACE KEAKABETSE
Correspondent | Friday November 12, 2010 00:00

A fortnight ago, members of the Maun Taxi and Combi Association took to the streets before handing down a petition to NWDC, protesting against the council decision to relocate their base from parking areas in the thriving Central Business District to the recently opened rank.

Last week, council chairman, Tebogo Bethia, gave the operators four days to vacate the parking areas and move to the rank after meeting some of their demands. On Monday the operators moved to the rank.

The operators complained that the new rank was too small to accommodate the entire combi and taxi fleet in the village. Maun has around 200 taxis, but the rank has the capacity to accommodate only 15 buses, 36 taxis and 42 combis.

The operators pointed out a litany of defects on the rank, amongst them, the absence of shelter for the customers at the parking bays for taxis and combis and the absence of passenger gates. They complain that the concrete shelters will be inadequate to shield their passengers during the rainy season and unrelenting high temperatures in the village as the rank has no terminal building.

Answering their concerns last week, NWDC Chairman, Tebogo Bethia, said the council admits that the space reserved for parking at the rank was too small to accommodate all of them but said ranks are not meant to act as parking areas.

They are collection and drop off points for the commuters. The council provided more parking bays for the taxis and combis and increased the shelters.

As a contingency measure the council will pitch a tent at the rank to act as a terminal building. 'Unfortunately due to the initial scope of the project we have not been able to provide enough shelter. However as a long term measure the council will partner with other stakeholders to construct a terminal building.Maun bus and taxi rank is one of the components of Maun phase II project which comprises of the: CBD pavements, Matshwane Industrial Road and Road 16. All the components were scheduled for completion in April 2008 but this wasn't to be as the contractor, China Jiangsu delayed finishing the project.

The rank was only handed to NWDC in January this year. NWDC councillors earlier this year threatened to advise members of the public to boycott after it came clear that the rank does not have a terminal building. Regretfully for them the explanation was how they could boycott something that they approved.