Cape Town, 19 March 2020 – With effect from Saturday 21 March the pick-up and go area at Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) will operate from the ground floor of Parkade 2. Currently, it is located in Parkade 1, but this area is being vacated in order to make way for enablement works linked to a future expansion project for the airport.
Pick-up is becoming increasingly more popular at the airport. The airport recently concluded a traffic impact assessment which highlighted double-digit growth in users making use of the pick-up area. “What’s more, we’ve also seen the popularity of e-hailing increase significantly. In fact, over a 12-month period, we’ve seen e-hailing making up nearly 60% of our total transactions in that space, which is a clear signal of its popularity,” according to Deidre Davids, Senior Manager Corporate Affairs at CTIA.
In December of last year, the valet operators moved out of Parkade 2 – this gave way for works in the area to begin in earnest. These past three months the team has worked hard to complete the project. The airport has invested R8,5 million rand into this project and has placed signage throughout the Terminal building as well as along the roadway to help orientate people. “We do expect some teething problems in the beginning. Please bear with us. To assist with this, we will have volunteers throughout the precinct to assist our airport users as required”, said Davids.
The footprint of the new Pick-up area is larger than the existing facility, with 200 parking bays in total. It is designed specifically to cater to the needs of the various airport users by providing dedicated spaces for e-hailing services, special needs passengers and general pick-ups.
A few things to note:
- Access to the Pick-up area: There are two separate entrances to Parkade 2. All general users will use the left entrance, while the pick-up users will use the entrance on the right-hand side which will lead you directly to the ground floor. Once you’ve selected the Pick-up entrance, the e-hailing and physically challenged drivers should keep left. All other users should use the access on the far-right hand side.
- E-hailing vehicles: The facility will include a dedicated e-hailing zone. All e-hailing vehicles will be allowed into the dedicated zone for a maximum period of five minutes for pick-up and drop-off.
- EV Charging Bays: The airport has also made provision for EV Charging Bays, which were installed in association with BMW in November 2019. In an agreement with BMW, charges will be waivered for EV Users entering the Pick-up facility. They may charge their vehicle within the 20-minute free period and leave without having to pay.
- Special needs: Bays for the physically challenged parkers are now conveniently located at the entrance to the parkade, and close to the Lobby A area, allowing for easy access to the terminal. Parkers that are physically challenged may use the facility for any period of time on the production of an official document confirming their physical disability. They should produce this when having their tickets validated by CTIA’s Parking Management located in Lobby A, ground floor, P2. These drivers will be charged at “Long Stay” rates regardless of the duration of their stay.
- Shuttle operators: All shuttle operators are urged to make use of the dedicated provisions and are asked to go to Parking Management and obtaining a prepaid card. This card allows access into a dedicated shuttle and tour bus zone for the safe and efficient drop-off and collection of guests.
“We know that the recent pickup experience has not been good – we regret this. We wish to extend a sincere thank you to our airport users for their continued patience and support. The team is currently hard at work, running a variety of simulations and tests to make sure that the parkade is ready for Saturday. We always value your guidance and inputs, which is what helps to make this airport an award-winning airport. We continue to strive to make your airport experience a positive one,” concluded Davids.
