Johannesburg – The City of Cape Town has cited rising diesel prices and low passenger numbers as its reasons for suspending the MyCiTi bus airport shuttle service from December 1.
The City said the cost of diesel had risen by over 50% from January to November. The airport bus service had also been experiencing low passengers numbers.
It said the buses would be rerouted to other areas such as Atlantis, Table View, Century City and the Cape Town CBD, where the buses were more valued and used frequently.
“Unfortunately, the demand for the service has not recovered since the lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions.
“The City’s Urban Mobility Directorate is continuously monitoring the MyCiTi routes to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the service and efficient operations by allocating resources in accordance with passenger demand,” MyCiTi said.
Cape Town’s Urban Mobility mayoral committee member (MMC), councillor Rob Quintas, said it was unfortunate the City was forced to shut the service down but it had to be prudent.
“The provision of additional buses to high-demand areas will improve the day-to-day lives of regular commuters who have a great need for the MyCiTi service.
“That said, we will investigate more cost-effective and innovative solutions to resume the service in the future. In the meantime, we are focused on improving the efficiencies along those routes where we have commuters in high numbers on a daily basis,” he said.
IOL