Over 400 Joburg taxi ranks to be disinfected regularly

This will be done as part of measures to keep public transport nodes clean and sanitised and to protect commuters from contracting the infectious Covid-19 pandemic.

Man disinfecting taxi | Image: joburg.org.za

The City of Johannesburg has entered into an agreement with international Scientology advocacy group – Volunteer Ministers Africa – to ensure all 460 taxi ranks in the metro are regularly disinfected during the lockdown.

This will be done as part of measures to keep public transport nodes clean and sanitised and to protect commuters from contracting the infectious Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a statement issued by the city, the commitment was made during the inspection of Bara Taxi Rank and the Putco depot in Soweto on Monday, 11 May.

“As government, we need to protect our commuters against the coronavirus as it’s a mobile virus. We shall be partnering with various stakeholders to help contain the spread of the virus in our taxi ranks,” said the executive mayor Geoff Makhubo.

During the inspection of public transport facilities in Soweto, Makhubo was accompanied by the Gauteng MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure Jacob Mamabolo.

Volunteers sanitising a taxi rank | Image: Twitter

The mayor said he was pleased with Putco’s compliance to the Disaster Management Act and that most public transport commuters were wearing masks and maintaining social distancing whilst waiting in queues.

“I’m glad to see the Putco depot adhering to the Covid-19 transport regulations. Measures have been put in place to ensure their 250,000 daily commuters and staff are safe from contracting the coronavirus,” he said.

Putco’s 1,300 bus fleet is only permitted to operate at 50% capacity during the lockdown. Each daily commuter will be sanitised when entering the bus and only one passenger is permitted to sit on a two-seater to allow for social distancing measures.

Meanwhile, Bara Taxi Rank in Diepkloof has been kitted with a new full-body walk-in sanitisation tunnel to ensure every passenger is disinfected when entering the facility, to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Volunteers sanitising a taxi rank | Image: Twitter

The sanitisation pilot project entails the following elements:

• Redesigning the floor space at the taxi rank to ensure social distancing
• Checking if the installation of technological systems support sanitisation and the checking of body temperature to aid government efforts to fight Covid-19
• Introducing appointed taxi rank management committees to assist with Covid-19 enforcement
• Sanitisation of commuters at each loading bay
• Disinfection of taxis
• Up-scaling of the taxi rank cleaning programme

Makhubo hopes to roll out sanitisation tunnels at all taxi ranks across Johannesburg, including at Rea Vaya and Metrobus stops.

“As the government of local unity, we need to ensure that we protect residents against Covid-19. [Everyone] must play their part if we are to successfully defeat this virus.”