Kapteinsklip commuters express frustration over MyCiTi bus shortages

A Kapteinsklip MyCiTi bus commuter has voiced frustration over what she describes as a chronic shortage of buses on the route, saying the situation is unacceptable given the high number of passengers who rely on the service daily.

Zoe Larrey, a Mitchell’s Plain resident, says she leaves home early for work but is often forced to return home very late, not because of long working hours, but because of the long wait for a bus home in the evenings

Ms Larrey said that commuters travelling from the Civic Centre to Kapteinsklip regularly wait hours for a bus. “I think it is ridiculous that there are so few buses leaving the Civic Centre for Kapteinsklip. Why do people have to wait from 5pm until 7.30pm just to get a bus home?” she asked.

She said that at least 100 commuters queue for the service during peak hours. When a bus finally arrives, it is often a smaller vehicle, leaving many passengers behind and forcing them to wait even longer.

“I am sick and tired of having to wait more than two hours to get home,” Ms Larrey said. “Mitchell’s Plain is not safe to walk around in the evening, yet people are left standing and waiting for long periods.”

She added that when a bus finally arrives, the situation becomes chaotic, with commuters pushing and shoving to secure a seat.

Ms Larrey has called on the City to urgently increase the number of buses operating on the Kapteinsklip route to ease congestion and improve commuter safety.

Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town has acknowledged the pressure on the N2 Express service, including the shortage of buses operating on the Kapteinsklip line.

Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas, said the City’s Public Transport Department is aware of the challenges commuters are facing and understands the frustration caused by the limited availability of buses.

He added that the City is working closely with vehicle operators to stabilise the fleet. Interventions include accelerating maintenance to return buses to service more quickly, improving turnaround times after breakdowns, and managing the available fleet more closely to support peak-period demand.

Mr Quintas explained that bus timetables are determined by the number of operational buses available each day. “As bus availability improves, which we are actively working towards, capacity on the route will be increased, including the deployment of additional buses where demand necessitates this,” he said.

He assured commuters that improving N2 Express reliability is a priority. “We appreciate the patience of our commuters during this period and will provide further updates as the current interventions begin to show results,” Mr Quintas said.

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