"Those driving around the city would have noticed the increase in traffic already. With the weather improving and the start of the festive season only a few weeks off, we expect the number of visitors to increase significantly. I want to remind residents and visitors that the MyCiTi service operates a number of routes to our local beaches and places of interest such as Table Mountain and the V&A Waterfront.
Visitors are encouraged to opt for the MyCiTi buses which offer a convenient and scheduled service. Also, part of winding down is not having to drive yourself and to search for parking – I thus advise our locals to give the MyCiTi service a try. Why hassle with congested roads when the buses on the inner-city routes, to Hout Bay and Melkbosstrand will drop you off within walking distance of your destination," said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town, Councillor Brett Herron.
In addition to being a convenient alternative to private transport, the City will also extend the operational hours of the MyCiTi bus service on routes to shopping centres, tourist attractions, and the beaches, and on New Year’s Eve during the festive season.
"The MyCiTi service will operate later than usual to accommodate those who want to do late-night shopping at the V&A Waterfront and Canal Walk. Additional trips will be added after 9.30pm as from Friday 2 December until Thursday 23 December 2016," said Herron.
Additional buses will depart from the Waterfront on the T01 trunk route to Table View and Dunoon, on Route 214 to Parklands, Route 104 to Sea Point, Route D01 to Khayelitsha East and Route D04 to Kapteinsklip in Mitchells Plain. Later buses will also operate on Routes 251 (Century City), the T03 trunk route (Atlantis, Table View, Omuramba), and the T04 trunk route (Dunoon, Century City).
"We will also add more buses on routes to and from the popular beaches on 16, 25, 26, 27 and 31 December 2016, as well as on 1 and 2 January 2017. I want to urge beachgoers to rather park in the vicinity of the Civic Centre station in the central business district and take a MyCiTi bus to Sea Point, Camps Bay, and Hout Bay. The main routes along the Atlantic Seaboard are notorious for bumper-to-bumper traffic during the festive season and limited on-street parking. Taking the bus is the most convenient option," said Herron.
Additional buses will operate between the Civic Centre station and Camps Bay (Route 107), Hout Bay and town via Sea Point (Route 108), and between Table View, the Blouberg beachfront and Melkbosstrand (Route 217).
"The MyCiTi service will operate late into the night to accommodate those who want to celebrate New Year’s Eve at popular spots around the city. It is a safe and hassle-free option with additional buses operating between 9.30pm and 2am on selected routes and at intervals of 20 to 30 minutes," said Herron.
The last bus will leave the Waterfront to Table View and Usasaza (T01) at 1am; from the Civic Centre to Camps Bay (Route 107) at 1am; from the Table View station to Melkbosstrand (Route 217) at 1am; and from the Table View station to Parklands (Route 214) at 2am.
The MyCiTi schedules will also be adjusted to cater for quieter morning and afternoon peak-hour periods due to the annual holiday period as from Monday 19 December 2016 to Friday 6 January 2017.
