The City is launching five new MyCiTi bus stops, improved timetables, and direct and express routes to create an even more efficient service. This roll-out is fittingly being done during October, which is Transport Month. The changes are set to meet the increase in passenger demand and help cut travel time. Commuters will also have an opportunity to enjoy a free-ride day on 29 October 2017. Read more below:
The City of Cape Town’s Transport and Urban Development Authority is making strides in ensuring that Cape Town has an efficient public transport system. By providing improved and more frequent transport services, the City is enhancing access to opportunities, in line with our Organisational Development and Transformation Plan.
Atlantis
Five new stops will be launched in Atlantis on 28 October 2017 as follows:
- Atlantis Cemetery, which will serve Routes 235, 234, 234a and 243
- Swift, which will serve Routes 237 and 242
- Marigold, serving Routes 232, 232a and 241
- Avondale, serving Routes 232, 232a and 241
- Grosvenor North, serving Route 233
Atlantis has seen a steady increase in passenger demand since the launch of the MyCiTi service in the area in 2014. As a responsive City, MyCiTi will give the passengers the freedom to choose by adding a new express service which will help cut the journey time between Atlantis and the Cape Town city centre.
The new X02 Atlantis – Table View – Civic Centre route will travel from Atlantis station, stopping at Sandown, Porterfield and Table View stations and then Racecourse, Woodbridge and Woodstock station and finally to the Civic Centre station. The new X02 will shorten the journey time for passengers.
Atlantis passengers will also be able travel direct from Atlantis to Century City. The T03 route from Atlantis to Omuramba via Table View will be extended to Century City, thus removing the need for passengers to transfer at Omuramba. This direct route will enhance the experience of those commuters who are working or shopping in the busy Century City area.
Berkshire West has a new stop on the T03 route, which makes it convenient for Atlantis residents to access the new Table Bay Mall.
Brittlestar stop
The Brittlestar stop near Melkbosstrand will now serve both directions of travel and there are four new stops along the R27, Koeberg Power Station, Duynefontein, Melkbosch and Birkenhead, serving the T02 and T03 routes.
Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain
Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain will now enjoy a more frequent service, with extra buses being added during peak times on the D01, D02, D03 and D04 routes. There will be buses every five minutes on D01 and D02, and every 12 minutes on D03 and D04 in the morning peak-hour period.
Passengers in Mitchells Plain should note that some D04 buses will skip the Mitchells Plain station in the morning peak-hour period.
Melkbosstrand
The Melkbosstrand and Duynefontein services will see some significant changes:
- Route 217, i.e. Table View – Big Bay – Melkbosstrand, will terminate at Melkbosstrand station and will no longer travel to Melkbosch Village
- Route 230, i.e. Duynefontein – Melkbosstrand will connect with Route 217 at Melkbosstrand station and continue via the Melkbosch Village stop, formerly called Melkbosch to Duynefontein
This means that passengers connecting between Table View and Duynefontein no longer need to transfer at Melkbosstrand station. The Route 230 service will no longer serve the Atlantic Beach and Brittlestar stops. Passengers wishing to access these stops can still do so by using the T03 service.
The Waratah stop will be discontinued and a new stop, Birkenhead, on the R27 will be added.
Parklands
MyCiTi will also launch a service that will link residents in Parklands with the Cape Town city centre on the T01 route, without the need to transfer at the Table View station. The new T01d Dunoon – Parklands – Civic Centre route will now travel from Dunoon along Malibongwe Drive and Sandown Road into Parklands and continue to the Civic Centre via the Table View station.
This will provide passengers in Dunoon with a shorter, more direct route to Parklands and its shopping and business hub during the peak times.
Parklands and Sandown Roads are also getting four new MyCiTi stops, i.e. Dartford, Morningfield, Discovery and Sandown East, to give the growing number of people living or working in these areas a convenient link to the service.
‘As an opportunity city, we are constantly seeking ways to connect residents, especially those who have been marginalised by the spatial legacy of apartheid, to opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach without a more efficient, reliable and affordable service. The residents have a reason to celebrate this Transport Month. They can now access work and business opportunities easier and faster. The commuters are not only saving on traveling time, but they are also getting value for their money. This is just the tip of the iceberg in achieving our 2032 goal of being a city where residents have easy access to efficient, sustainable and affordable public transport,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport and Urban Development, Councillor Brett Herron.
All residents can enjoy a free-ride day on the MyCiTi service on 29 October 2017.
‘On this day, commuters will have an opportunity to hop on the bus and travel as far they like and as often as they want. They can visit friends and family or enjoy being tourists in their own city, free of charge. No myconnect card is necessary on the day.
‘I encourage residents to take advantage of our popular free-ride day which will apply on all MyCiTi routes. This is also the ideal opportunity to get to know the MyCiTi routes, to visit famous heritage sites along the MyCiTi routes, and to view the artworks at the stations,’ said Councillor Herron.
The new service improvements call for timetable adjustments. Residents can access the new timetables here: https://myciti.org.za/en/about/media-marketing/myciti-news/myciti-service-improvements-28-october-2017/