This afternoon, 20 January 2022, the City of Cape Town has signed a new operating contract with the N2 Company, equally owned by Lisekhonikamva (Codeta) from Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain Rapid Transit (Route Six from Mitchells Plain), and Golden Arrow Bus Services (Gabs). This is a major achievement that will see the N2 Express buses return to Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha by February 2022.

The signing of this contract is a critical milestone and the impact cannot be overstated.

More than 6 000 commuters from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha will benefit from the N2 Express service once the buses are back on the road in February 2022, if all goes as planned.

‘This is very important progress, and great for the city. We look forward to seeing the N2 Express service up and running as soon as possible. Capetonians urgently need safe, affordable and reliable public transport. With the return of the N2 Express service thousands of commuters from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha will be able to board the blue MyCiTi buses to the Cape Town CBD. I want to thank the N2 Company, our partners who will be operating the service. Thank you for your commitment to return the service to commuters from the metro-south east. I also want to commend the City officials for their dedication and hard work leading up to the signing of the contract.

‘Cape Town has a prosperous future and it includes all of us. We need our economy to grow so that we can create more jobs, and improve the lives of all who call this city their home. This is a good news moment on that journey,’ said the City’s Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis. ‘My vision for urban mobility is that commuters in Cape Town should have a wide range of choices in how they access opportunities. The imminent return of the N2 Express service is a vital addition to our public transport offering. Given the implosion of passenger rail commuters from the metro-south east need reliable public transport services now more than ever. The N2 Express service will provide commuters with an alternative. Before the service was suspended in May 2019 up to 6 000 passengers used it on a daily basis which underscores the demand and popularity of the service,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Councillor Rob Quintas.

On 15 December 2021, at its last meeting for the year, the City’s Council unanimously approved the Transport Directorate’s request to grant the N2 Company the right to use and manage the 34 City-owned buses to provide the N2 Express service.

‘Now that we have signed the operating contract with the N2 Company the fleet of 34 buses – a combination of 12-metre low-floor buses and 18-metre low-floor buses – will be serviced and prepared for operations, and bus drivers recruited and trained.

‘In the meantime, the Transport Directorate is assessing all of the bus shelters along the four routes in Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha for urgent maintenance and repairs. Sadly, many of the shelters have been vandalised or stripped by thieves during the time that the service was suspended. Given the extent of the vandalism most of the shelters will still be in a state of disrepair by the time the N2 Express operates, but I can assure commuters that we are working around the clock to get this sorted,’ said Councillor Quintas.

The City and the N2 Company will get the preparations for the service done as soon as possible.

‘I will keep commuters informed of our progress and make it public once we know the exact date on which the N2 Express service will start operating,’ said Councillor Quintas.

Once operational, the N2 Express service will again operate along four MyCiTi routes in Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha:

• D01 between Khayelitsha East and the Civic Centre
• D02 between Khayelitsha West and the Civic Centre
• D03 between Mitchells Plain East and the Civic Centre; and
• D04 between Kapteinsklip, the Mitchells Plain Town Centre and the Civic Centre

The buses will travel to the Civic Centre station in the Cape Town CBD via the N2 freeway.