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Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
MORE than 60 000 people are using the recently opened Egodini Bus Terminus in Bulawayo with the South African based developer, Terracotta Trading, saying the performance to date was better than their expectations.
Phase 1A of the multi-million dollar project was completed early this month which saw commuter omnibuses returning to the terminus on 5 February. This phase of the project includes informal trader stalls, a taxi rank and the associated social amenities.
Responding to questions from Sunday News, Terracotta director Mr Thulani Moyo said the performance had been above expections. He said, as of last Friday, over 60 000 people were using the rank while 1 270 taxis were utilising the facility.
“Taxis were allowed to return from Monday 5 February 2024. Prior planning meetings held between the developer, BCC and all four taxi associations facilitated a gradual return of taxis to the rank. This was important due to the large volume of public commuters that are traversing the facility on a daily basis. By the end of the first week, an average of 1 270 taxis were utilising the facility on a daily basis transporting more than 60 000 public transport users,” said Mr Moyo.
He further revealed that they had since completed the issuance of the initial 400 informal traders’ stalls which he noted were taken up within the first 48 hours of their call for registration.
“Those informal traders that had formally registered their interest to trade at Egodini were invited in a sequenced basis to select their preferred stand, sign an offer to lease and pay the requisite deposit. The initial batch of 400 informal traders stalls that were available were all leased out within 48 hours.
“The significant demand for the informal trader stalls and the speed at which they were taken up by the market exceeded all expectations of the developer. The strategic positioning of the informal trader stalls immediately adjacent to the more than 60 000 per day commuter handling taxi rank played a significant role in making the trader stalls extremely attractive to informal traders,” said Mr Moyo.
“The affordable rental of US$90 per informal trader stall bay per month compared to other recently refurbished informal trader facilities in Bulawayo’s CBD where rentals range from US$250 to US$450 per trader stall per month also played an important role in the speed at which these informal trader stalls were taken up and the continued demand for the next 400 informal trader stalls.”
He said the occupation of the second phase of stalls is expected by 1 June 2024 of which 267 have already been signed up with traders paying their rental deposits in advance to secure their chosen stalls.
Further clarifying on the charges, he said informal traders were paying US$90 a stall a month with taxis paying US$2 a day.
“With the relocation of the taxis back to Egodini completed by Wednesday, 14 Febrauary 2024 the developer started the relocation of informal traders back to site from Thursday, 15 December 2024 in batches so that all informal traders that signed up on the first 400 installs are expected to have relocated to site by Wednesday, 21 February 2024,” he said.
Online Reporter