The initial three month trial was funded by State Government to provide a safe area for people to catch taxis after hours

With the trial finishing, Port Augusta City Council is applying for another round of funding, to keep it going on the weekends.

The council will then have to determine how the funding will be used.

Council community harmony officer Douglas Longmore said use of funding was undecided yet.

“We may decide it should be run six months straight, or over different parts of the year - that will be looked at,” he said.

According to Mr Longmore, public feedback indicated the trial had been positive in the central business district on weekends.

“It has been a welcomed aspect of the city in the evenings,” he said.

“Some people have even been depending on it, knowing that a taxi will be there to take them home safely.”

He said he hoped it would continue.

“It’s good to see things happening in the (central business district) that provide a safe environment,” he said.

Mr Longmore said the current taxi rank’s location was ideal in terms of security and safety.

The area in Gladstone Square is monitored by cameras to provide a safe area for people to wait.

But the location would be reviewed if the next round of funding was successful.

“I don’t think it makes a difference where it is in that area, but for safety reasons, Gladstone Square is the best area to have the service,” he said.

In a letter to council from Port Augusta Police Senior Sergeant Rod Malkin, police concerns were highlighted.

The letter stated that police officers had noticed problems with the location.

“The patrons at the Flinders don’t want to walk up there and they conglomerate around the front,” the letter stated.

Senior Sergeant Malkin said his supervisors believed the rank should be opposite the hotel, so patrons can get in a cab straight away without “congregating around the front” of the facility.