More buses for MyCiTi

myciti.org.za/en/routes/interactive-routes/In the next few months, Transport for Cape Town (TCT) will deploy a total of 106 brand new buses on MyCiTi routes across the city, with the first nine new buses to be operational on the busiest trunk routes as of Monday 9 June 2014.

The first deployment, comprising nine 12-metre buses, will be on the popular T01 route (Dunoon, Table View, Civic Centre) and the recently launched T03 route (Atlantis, Table View, Civic Centre) and will unquestionably improve commuters’ experience of the MyCiTi service.

"With the prospect of shorter waiting times and a more comfortable ride during the morning and afternoon peak hours for commuters, this investment of nearly R25 million in procuring the nine new buses is worth every cent. This speaks to the City’s commitment to building a well-run and inclusive city where all of its residents – especially those who live on the periphery – have easy access to affordable, reliable and safe public transport, linking them with opportunities beyond their neighbourhoods," said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town, Councillor Brett Herron.

As there will be more buses operational on the MyCiTi trunk route from Atlantis to Century City, commuters can expect an increase in the number of departures during the morning peak hours, with the first bus departing at 05:03 during weekdays and the last bus to depart from Omuramba at 22:36 in the evening. Timetables will be issued closer to the time, informing commuters of the changes to the schedule.

"The City is pleased to note that more and more residents in Atlantis prefer the MyCiTi bus service over other modes of transport. From the launch of the T03 route on 12 April 2014 until 30 April 2014, at least 12 233 passengers have boarded the MyCiTi buses at the station in Atlantis and an additional 17 400 passengers have boarded the MyCiTi buses on the five feeder routes (231, 232, 233, 236 and 239). Furthermore, to date 7 329 myconnect cards have been sold in Atlantis," said Councillor Herron.

In addition to these, TCT has procured another 24 new 12-metre buses which are to be delivered as from July this year and will also take delivery of 24 new 18-metre buses and nine 12-metre buses in the months thereafter. The buses will be deployed as soon as they have been registered, licensed and tested by TCT’s technical staff and the vehicle operating companies to ensure that they conform with the necessary applicable standards.

Furthermore, over the next few weeks TCT will receive a fleet of 20 new 12-metre buses which will be operational on the N2 Express route when the MyCiTi service is rolled out to Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha in July 2014. The N2 Express route will be expanded with a further 20 new 18-metre buses which are scheduled for arrival in the latter part of the year. The bodies of the 106 buses are being assembled in Cape Town. 

"It is important to note that strikes in the motor manufacturing industry and the metals sector in 2013, as well as further ongoing industrial action, have severely affected the production cycle, hence the delayed delivery of these buses. In fact, it takes on average at least a year to take delivery of a bus from the date of the placement of the procurement order up until the day that TCT receives it from the supplier – that is if everything goes according to plan and there are no disruptions. The City has been trying its best to meet passengers’ expectations of the MyCiTi service under these circumstances and we believe the new buses will go a long way in addressing the growing demand for this world-class public transport system," concluded Councillor Herron.