There are over three million people in Cape Town, many of whom depend on public transport. The spatial layout of the city creates challenges, with low-density development that requires many people to travel long distances to work or school. This has been made worse by our history, which saw poor communities moved to the edges of the city.

With the Table Mountain range in the centre and the city bounded by two oceans, there is no space for building more major roads. Congestion is worsening year by year, so the City is encouraging a shift to public transport.

Currently, most people travel by train, bus or minibus taxi, but Cape Town lacks the safe, affordable, reliable and integrated public transport system that a city of this size and level of development requires.

The new National Land Transport Act allows cities to take on much more responsibility for public transport – everything from planning and co-ordinating the various modes, to licensing and regulating and administering funds for capital projects and public transport subsidies.
This will be done in terms of the City’s Integrated Transport Plan, which is regularly reviewed taking into account the input of residents and other groups, such as business and industry. The aim is to have a single, integrated public transport system with all modes working together efficiently to give people a quality experience.

Why bus rapid transit makes sense

Cape Town has an extensive network of suburban rail lines, although they are not all well maintained or offering an optimal service. However, some areas, like the rapidly growing West Coast, are not served by rail.

An alternative to putting in new train systems is a concept called Bus Rapid Transit that is successfully operating in developing and developed countries. BRT uses a fleet of modern, comfortable buses moving in their own dedicated lanes on trunk routes, with special stations, often in the middle of the roads. Feeder routes run through suburbs and industrial areas with smaller buses to bring passengers to the main trunk routes.

The services are also planned to create links to other forms of transport – at rail stations, long-distance bus services and airports. They typically include a network of convenient, well-lit cycling and walking paths to and from the bus stops and stations to encourage people to leave their cars at home and use public transport.

Some of the benefits include accessibility, because there is level boarding which makes it easier for people with disabilities, and mothers with prams, the use of handy smartcard technology, and of course consistency, with buses running according to pre-determined intervals, which makes life easier.

The system is also much cheaper to establish than other major forms of public transport. For instance, with R7 billion a city could build seven kmof underground rail, 14 km of elevated rail, 40 km of light rail and 175 km of IRT trunk networks. In South Africa, it is costing approximately R35 to R45 million per km to build a trunk route.

In South Africa, as in other countries, the introduction of BRT provides an opportunity to include operators from other modes of public transport, such as minibus taxis and the scheduled bus industry, in companies that tender to operate the system. This can remove outdated and inefficient forms of public transport from the roads and create many formal jobs, with benefits like paid leave, sick leave, unemployment insurance and regular shifts.

For these and many other reasons, the City of Cape Town has opted for this system to improve its public transport.

Planning and funding MyCiTi

The MyCiTi business plan was adopted by Council in 2010. However, work began several years earlier, ahead of the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup, which gave impetus to improving public transport in host cities, with significant funding from national government.

Through national grants, such as the Public Transport Infrastructure and Systems Grant, the City of Cape Town is receiving over R4 billion for the implementation of MyCiTi.

Over the next 15 to 25 years, the plan is to roll out the MyCiTi network across Cape Town, including to the densely populated areas of Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain. While there is a high-level concept for the eventual full system, exact routes and timing will depend on input from the public, development needs and available funding. The objective is to have access to safe, reliable, affordable public transport services within 500 m of the majority of homes in the city.

For monthly project reports, click here.

Assuring quality

The MyCiTi business plan details the structure and operating model for the system, which is modelled on international best practice. Because it carries overall responsibility, on behalf of the people of Cape Town, for ensuring high standards and performance, the City of Cape Town is accountable for the system and owns the infrastructure, such as the roads, stops and stations.
The intention is to set up a municipal entity, a company owned by the City of Cape Town, to manage the day-to-day business of the MyCiTi system and possibly also to co-ordinate the wider public transport system in the future. This would be similar to the way the Cape Town International Convention Centre is managed, with the City of Cape Town as majority shareholders.

According to the business model, which is in line with the National Land Transport Act, the operations are contracted out through a tender process to various private sector companies, initially comprising the operators who were in business on routes affected by the new system. These companies will be responsible for running the buses, the fare collection system, cleaning and maintenance of the stations, managing the depots and a host of other tasks associated with operating a sophisticated public transport system. A series of checks and balances are built in, with performance agreements, ensuring the best possible levels of service to the travelling public.