The Go!Durban station at the Queen Nandi Drive between KwaMashu and Avoca which has no passenger activity except for security personnel guarding the facility. EThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba insisted that they won't launch the project until they are fully on board with the taxi industry in the affected routes.
Image: DOCTOR NGCOBO Independent Newspapers
ETHEKWINI Mayor Cyril Xaba has addressed the ongoing delays of the city’s ambitious rapid transit project, GO!Durban, citing negotiations with the taxi industry as a key factor.
Speaking at the 2025/26 Festive Season Mayoral Tourism Editors Engagement luncheon at The Octavia Boutique Hotel in eTafuleni, Inanda, north of Durban, Xaba emphasised the need for consensus before the project can go live.
“Without having them on board, we know that this idea will not fly,” said Xaba, noting that GO!Durban was launched after other major metros had already implemented their bus rapid transit systems across the country.
“When it came to GO!Durban, the taxi industry had already learned to negotiate for maximum benefit from such projects.”
The mayor confirmed that discussions with Transport Minister Barbara Creecy have aligned on the Division of Revenue Act (DORA), addressing earlier concerns about the project’s delays. At the heart of the issue is the taxi industry’s objection to a tactical adjustment proposed by the city, which they view as a deviation from the compensation models used in other BRT systems.
The project affects more than five taxi associations along the route that links the western side of Durban to the north of the city, stretching from Pinetown to Phoenix, with the Durban West Region of the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) being the most impacted. Once completed, the GO!Durban route is expected to extend to uMhlanga via the Cornubia and reach King Shaka International Airport.
ETHEKWINI Mayor Cyril Xaba revealed during a 2025/2026 festive season tourism report at The Octavia Hotel in Inanda, north of Durban, that the City wants to ensure that the taxi industry was fully on board for the GO!Durban project to go live and expressed difficulties at the delays but was hopeful of reaching an agreement soon.
Image: NTOMBIZODWA DLAMINI Sunday Tribune
There are plans to expand the netwok further east to the Durban CBD.
Xaba expressed optimism that the project, initiated in 2012, will finally go live soon, provided that taxi stakeholders are fully supportive.
The mayor also discussed the proposed regional speed train network connecting Durban, Johannesburg, Polokwane, Musina, and Mbombela, which aims to ease congestion at the Durban harbour.
Tourism in the city also saw strong growth over the festive season, with visitor numbers reaching 1.2 million between December 1, 2025, and January 12, 2026. Durban’s beaches, particularly the beachfront, were a major draw, attracting holidaymakers during key festive dates including December 16, 26, and New Year’s celebrations.
Tour operators in the Inanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu (INK) area expressed concerns at the negative reports about crime in Inanda which prevents many tourists from enjoying the area's heritage route and other attractions.