The City of Cape Town is investing R1 million to improve the facilities at the Station Deck taxi rank in the city’s central business district.

The taxi rank will be closed for six days from Friday 24 April 2015, for urgent maintenance and repairs according to a statement by the municipality.

Maintenance work will include painting the buildings and road markings, repairing the lighting, repairing potholes and cracks in the road surface and sidewalks, and installing new destination boards to assist commuters in finding the correct departure lanes to their destinations.

As part of the maintenance and repair work, new lanes will be allocated to the various destinations – the details of which will be communicated to the operators and commuters in due course.

In order to carry out the maintenance and repairs unhindered, public access to certain areas will be restricted. Furthermore, no taxis will be allowed onto the Station Deck until Thursday 30 April 2015, when operators can return to the taxi rank.

As a temporary arrangement during this period, minibus-taxi operators will operate from the Grand Parade opposite the Cape Town City Hall in Darling Street.

“Once we have completed the repairs, the City will also implement a new operational plan to alleviate the congestion on the Station Deck,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town, Councillor Brett Herron.

“A new access control system for legal operators with the authority to drop off and pick up passengers will be implemented, which will assist in preventing illegal operators from entering and operating at the taxi rank. This will be to the benefit of legal operators, as well as to the commuters,’ added Herron.