31 Jan 2017

Taxi rank in Bobonong has proven to be too small.

Chairperson of Bobonong Taxi Services, Mr Godfrey Gasebatho said, as a result, some taxi owners had to flee the rank to park at the nearby Choppies Supermarket and some illegal parking areas.

Mr Gasebatho said this in an interview recently.

He said this problem also increased the number of collision accidents in the rank.

“Our rank is also used by all buses that come to Bobonong and it is failing to accommodate both buses and the taxis, making it difficult for buses and taxis to drive in and out of the rank,” he said.

Mr Gasebatho said the closure of BCL Mine in Selebi Phikwe also had an impact of high numbers of taxis coming to Bobonong due to the low taxi business in Selebi Phikwe.

He said some taxis came from as far as Francistown to do businesses in Bobonong as taxi business in towns was saturated.

“Our association is going to talk to Bobirwa Sub-district relevant authorities so that they can give taxis another parking area to reduce crowding at the rank,” he said.

Mr Gasebatho appealed to Bobonong taxi drivers to drive with caution in the rank to avoid accidents that might happen due to congestion.

For his part, Bobonong taxi man, Mr Lebalang Mangolo said taxis in Bobonong have increased since the internal roads were constructed. He said it is time for Bobonong to have a better rank as the numbers of buses and taxis have increased.

Mr Mangolo said Bobonong has also grown and the residents's lifestyle has also improved, that is why people prefer using taxis to walking long distances. BOPA