TAXI SIGNS

THE taxi industry has evolved an elaborate sign language used to indicate the desired destination. Wherever you are in the country, you will find locals using their fingers to stop the taxi going in their direction. The sign you use depends on where you happen to be - so it is useful to ask locals for the appropriate signs to use. Pointing your index finger upwards generally means you are looking for a taxi traveling to the Johannesburg city centre. To stop a taxi traveling around a township (called local), you draw a circle in the air with your finger pointing downwards. RELATED STORIES: Taxi tips Winds of change in the taxi industry A listing of taxi ranks in the Johannesburg city centre

	TAXI RANKS

TO board a taxi in the city of Johannesburg, you must first travel to the appropriate taxi rank. Here is a list of taxi ranks in the Johannesburg city centre. Each rank services commuters traveling to particular destinations.

Improved facilities for taxi commuters November 1, 2001 By Thomas Thale THE City Of Johannesburg has embarked on a major project to improve facilities at taxi ranks across the city. According to Statson Maffa, the licencing officer of the Taxi Support Unit in the Joburg Metro, new ranks are being built "to remove taxis off the streets". The new ranks under construction are Westgate, Park Central, Park City, Metro Mall and Faraday. Other ranks are planned for townships surrounding Johannesburg, such as Phefeni and Killarney, Freedom Square in Kliptown and Orange farm. According to Maffa, once the ranks have been completed, all taxi operations will be relocated to the new facilities. The relocation of taxis will alleviate traffic congestion on Johannesburg roads. The Taxi Support Unit was established in terms of the Minibus Taxi Type Act of 1997, which requires municipalities to oversee Taxi Liaison Committees (TLC's). The TLCs are made up of various taxi associations, commuter organisations, the traffic department and the metro council. It is the duty of the Unit to improve facilities at taxi ranks. According to Lebo Koena, a technical officer of the Taxi Support Unit, the council is currently working on a plan to establish Lost and Found offices at taxi ranks. The Park City taxi rank will have a Lost and Found office running within the next three weeks. The council is also in the process of establishing a commuter call centre to handle commuter queries. Call centre operators will be going on training from this weekend. Whilst welcoming these developments, the chairperson of the Commuter Association of South Africa, George Ngwenya, complained that most ranks have no toilet facilities. As a result, some people urinate in the open. He also said that the safety of commuters is compromised by poor planning. "Early this year, six commuters were knocked down by a minibus on the on-ramp of the Jack Mincer taxi rank. The rank was poorly designed and little account was taken of the safety of commuters," added Ngwenya. Koena admitted that many taxi ranks don't have proper facilities, but added that "all new taxi ranks in the city now have toilets, and we have already rented portable toilets from Supreme Toilets to service street ranks."