One of the legacies of the 2010 World Cup will be improved public transport, including an inner city route. The following information is adapted from a recent City of Cape Town communiqué:
The inner-city loop service (download route map) will provide a safe, quick, reliable way for tourists and locals to travel around the inner city, passing tourist attractions and nightspots as well as venues where many Capetonians live and work. The service has been in operation since Saturday 29 May.
Look out for the MyCiTi logo
This service gives Capetonians a taste of things to come, as a similar inner-city service is to be part of Phase 1A of the MyCiTi service, which is to be completed after the World Cup.
The service consists of two loops, travelling around the city in opposite directions. The two loops follow the same route except for Long and Loop Streets, which are one-way roads.
Civic Centre Station, Hertzog Boulevard
The service travelling anti-clockwise will leave the Civic Centre Station on Hertzog Boulevard and travel along Coen Steytler Avenue, stopping at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. It will then travel up Long Street and go into Orange Street, along Annandale and Mill Streets, and then down Buitenkant to the Grand Parade, where there will be a Fan Park during the World Cup. The bus will then turn right into Keizergracht and left into Oswald Pirow, before turning left into Hertzog Boulevard to travel back to the Civic Centre Station.
Inner City 'clockwise' route
The bus travelling in the opposite direction will take the same route in the opposite direction from the Civic Centre Station, passing the Grand Parade before travelling up Buitenkant, Annandale and Orange Streets. However, due to one-way-streets, it will travel down Loop Street, not Long Street on the way back to the Civic Centre Station.
The service runs past a host of tourist attractions including the nightspots of Long Street, the Labia Theatre, Government Avenue, the Company’s Gardens, various Iziko museums, the District Six Museum and the Castle. It also crosses the Fan Walk in Waterkant Street, and travels close to Greenmarket Square, Heritage Square, Riebeeck Square, Bo-Kaap and the Gardens Centre.
The new inner city service operating in Long Street
The stop at the Cape Town International Convention Centre is close to several hotels – the Westin Grand, Cullinan, Southern Sun, Protea North Wharf and the Capetonian.
Between 29 May and 16 July, the inner city loop service will run every 30 minutes between 03:00 and 09:00 and between 24:00 (midnight) and 01:00 and every 10 minutes between 09:00 and 24:00. Between 6 June and 10 July, the service will run every 30 minutes between 24:00 (midnight) and 09:00 and every 10 minutes from 09:00 and 24:00 (midnight). Services may be increased on match days during the World Cup.
Tickets cost R8 and can be bought from the conductor on the bus, and from roving vendors.
Timetable
Links with other transport services
The inner-city loop has been designed to intersect with other transport services. Passengers will be able to transfer from the two new MyCiTi services onto trains, Golden Arrow buses, minibus taxis and metered taxis – to travel to the Atlantic Seaboard, Cape Flats and southern and northern suburbs.
Andrew, the other vital than to point out about this wonderful system is that it is fully accessible, meaning that for the first time ever people with disabilities are able to use a public transport system in Cape Town. This will make a huge difference to so many people. Remember, in South Africa there are more people in wheelchairs than there are followers of the Jewish faith; more wheelchair users than Jews… makes you think!
Staff on all buses are fantastic but lack knowledge of any other route but their own. Please attach route maps to bus stops (especially in Waterfront) and leave copies of maps on buses – connecting is difficult when its dark and cold at the civic centre – and dangerous to run across the road when buses are coming and going.
The Civic Centre has a staircase which goes from the station to the other side of the road, so no need to cross the road.