By Janine Oelofse

The Knysna municipality will meet with taxi associations this month to discuss the upgrading of taxi ranks.

Knysna Mayor Eleanore Bouw-Spies told her councillors at a meeting yesterday the taxis would "for now stay where they are" after a recommendation was put forward that the council not approve a temporary holding bay in the CBD.

Another recommendation the council is considering involves levering funds from the Western Cape's 2010 budget for upgrading public-transport infrastructure in Knysna.

The council also wants to review its integrated transport plan with regard to providing public transport, investigate establishing a taxi rank in Hornlee and make provision in the budgets of 2008/09 and 2009/10 for upgrading the taxi ranks in Masifundi and Nekkies.

Problems arose last year when the Nelson Street taxi rank was upgraded at a cost of R5,2- million. In the past, the taxis used a public parking area between Nelson and Rawson streets as a holding bay (where taxis wait to be called for loading at the main taxi rank). However, they were moved to Hedge Street when Shoprite-Checkers began developing the area.

After eight months, the taxi operators refused to move from the Hedge Street holding bay, saying the upgraded taxi rank was too small. In addition, Masifundi and Nekkies taxis joined Hornlee taxis in using the Hedge Street holding bay.

The upgraded rank, which now boasts a new roof, new ablution facilities and expanded lanes to accommodate the new minibuses which form part of the government's recapitalisation programme, can only accommodate 70 vehicles. There are 189 taxis in Knysna.

Residents in the Hedge Street vicinity then took legal action to have the taxis removed, complaining that operators were undisciplined. A facilitator was appointed and a committee identified various sites on which a CBD holding bay could be developed, costing between R650 000 and R1,2-million. The committee noted that it was unusual for both a taxi rank and a holding bay to be in the CBD. It was ideal to rather have the holding bays in the suburbs.

The taxi operators at the time promised they would move away from Hedge Street only if the municipality provided them with a suitable alternative, saying they needed to be close to town during peak hours.