City appoints new contractor to complete MyCiTi Control Centre contract

Once the contract formalities have been observed, TMT Services and Supplies will commence with the completion of the outstanding works to supply, install, test, commission and maintain the MyCiTi Control Centre hardware, software and related systems (collectively known as the Advanced Public Transport Management System, or APTMS).

The appointment of the new contractor took longer than expected due to the complexities involved in putting a partially completed project out to tender again, and in ensuring that the City’s risks in this regard were adequately addressed.

‘Numerous intricacies have to be concluded to get the Control Centre to operate as was originally specified and the City is confident that we have appointed a contractor that can fulfil all these requirements. Even though this will not happen overnight, we are looking forward to the day when the MyCiTi Control Centre will operate as we have envisioned.TMT Services and Supplies will play a pivotal role in reaching this goal,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town, Councillor Brett Herron.

Once fully operational, the control centre will be able to provide commuters with real-time information about the MyCiTi service during its hours of service. ‘As the control centre will be tracking each and every MyCiTi bus on all of the MyCiTi routes across the city, Transport for Cape Town (TCT), the City’s transport authority, will know exactly where a bus is at any given point in time. Not only will TCT be able to keep track of any delays to the service, the control centre will also be able to inform commuters about the departure time of every bus on every route,’ said Councillor Herron.

This real-time information will be communicated to commuters on electronic signboards at the MyCiTi stations. Those passengers who are waiting at MyCiTi bus stops where there are no electronic signboards will be able to get this information by phoning the Transport Information Centre (TIC) or logging onto the MyCiTi website from their smartphones.

‘It must be evident why we are looking forward to the day when the APTMS will be fully operational. Not only will this enable TCT to significantly improve the MyCiTi service, it will also allow us to constantly communicate crucial information to our passengers – enabling them to better plan their journeys,’ said Councillor Herron.

The other very important purpose of the APTMS is to ensure that the vehicle operating companies (VOCs) meet the operating standards contained in their contracts with the City in terms of punctuality, driver behaviour and client service, among others. Until such time as the APTMS is fully operational, the scheduling and monitoring of the MyCiTi bus operations will still continue manually. ‘TCT wants to emphasise that we are still holding our VOCs to the operating standards contained in their contracts with the City. Although the MyCiTi Control Centre and the APTMS is not yet operating as designed, complaints about driver schedule adherence and driver conduct are investigated and, if substantiated, there are consequences – including penalties – for the VOCs,’ said Councillor Herron.

It is therefore important that passengers lodge complaints with the TIC. All complaints received are recorded by the TIC and sent to the VOC who is compelled to investigate these matters. The VOC is obligated to report the outcome of their investigations to the TIC, who must in turn respond to the complainant after receiving feedback from the VOC.

‘We can only improve on the MyCiTi service and act when something goes wrong if we know about it. We need our passengers to please contact the TIC on 0800 65 64 63 – not only to complain, but also to tell us when you are impressed with the MyCiTi service, the bus drivers and the men and women working at the stations,’ said Councillor Herron.