More buses for Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain

Statement by Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town, Councillor Brett Herron

The City condemns the criminal acts of sabotage that left thousands of commuters without public transport for a number of days last week, crippling our residents’ efforts to earn an income and our local economy in general.

It has become quite clear to us that this well planned sabotage poses a serious threat to the City, our residents, our infrastructure and our service delivery efforts. Acts like these cannot be tolerated and we urge those who have information about perpetrators to come forward and assist us in protecting infrastructure that is paid for and maintained with public funds.  

Since last week’s incident, Transport for Cape Town (TCT) has been deploying between six and eight additional MyCiTi buses on the N2 Express route on week days, providing alternative public transport to affected commuters who have to travel between the Cape Flats and the Cape Town central business district.

This equates to an additional capacity of at least 400 passengers during the morning and afternoon peak hours, over and above the service’s current capacity of approximately 1 800 passengers.

The additional capacity was intended to assist commuters who were stranded or experienced significant delays due to the sabotage of Metrorail’s infrastructure. Despite the fact that the trains are now running normally, TCT will continue deploying additional buses on the N2 Express route as we are now experiencing a significant increase in the demand for this service.

In fact, since last week, the demand for the N2 Express service has more than doubled and we will continue to deploy additional buses on this route until further notice. Furthermore, a total number of 3 457 free myconnect cards have been issued to residents of the Cape Flats since 21 June until Friday 1 August 2014. 

The N2 Express service provides a safe, convenient and scheduled alternative for travel to the CBD, with the first buses departing at 05:30 from Kuyasa in Khayelitsha and the Town Centre in Mitchells Plain on week days. A single trip from Kuyasa to the Civic Centre station on the MyCiTi Mover Package costs R11,60 during peak hours and R9,70 off-peak; while a single trip from the Town Centre to the Civic Centre station on the MyCiTi Mover Package costs R10,40 during the peak hours and R8,70 off-peak.

Due to last week’s problems with the Metrorail service, TCT also extended the deadline of the issuing of free myconnect cards to the residents of Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha, up until 31 August 2014.

We are acutely aware of the fact that some of these households have already spent a significant proportion of their income on Metrorail tickets and therefore do not have the resources to buy a myconnect card to travel on the N2 Express service. We believe that these free cards will go a long way towards giving more residents access to the MyCiTi service.

Residents are urged to please collect a free myconnect card as cash is not accepted on the buses. A myconnect card usually costs R35, but over the next four weeks the free cards can be collected from the following venues on weekdays: 

• In Khayelitsha at the Desmond Tutu Hall on the corner of Japhta Masemola and Cekeca Roads; and at the Khayelitsha Multipurpose Centre on the corner of Walter Sisulu and Steve Biko Roads, from 08:30 until 16:30.
• In Mitchells Plain at the Golden Arrow Bus Service kiosk in the Town Centre from 08:30 until 16:30.

Residents will have to pay R30 for the Mover Points which will be pre-loaded on their free myconnect cards and they are requested to please take along their identity documents or birth certificates for children four years and older in order for the cards to be registered in their names (passengers younger than four travel free on the MyCiTi service).