A “staggering increase in attacks” has seen 72 MyCiTi passenger buses stoned and damaged over the past three months in Cape Town.
The buses operate on 46 routes in the city.
“We have seen a staggering increase in attacks on our buses — in particular along the N2 Express routes serving passengers from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha,” urban mobility MMC Rob Quintas said on Thursday.
“The affect on commuters is devastating. We cannot operate buses with smashed windows and must withdraw the bus from service. That means the trips scheduled for that bus are missed or delayed for as long as the bus is in for repairs. Commuters don’t arrive at work or school on time and there are long queues at stations and stops because the full fleet is not operational due to vandalism.”
The buses were stoned between November 1 and January 31. Damaged vehicles are taken out of service for up to two days to replace broken windows and windshields at a cost of R7,000 to R10,000 each, depending on the size.
An 18m bus transporting 120 passengers at a time usually made three trips during the morning commuter peak period on the N2 Express routes — potentially affecting up to 360 passengers from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha if it was damaged and withdrawn for repairs during that time.
“Vandalism is a problem. The cost to replace and repair the damage to our MyCiTi fleet is shocking. Then there is the indirect cost to commuters — the residents who lose out on an income because they are late for work or spend hours longer commuting, waiting in queues, because we do not have enough buses to transport them,” said Quintas.
Communities were urged to report the perpetrators to the police or city.
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'Staggering increase in attacks': 72 MyCiTi busses stoned over three months in Cape Town
Image: MyCiTi Bus via Twitter
A “staggering increase in attacks” has seen 72 MyCiTi passenger buses stoned and damaged over the past three months in Cape Town.
The buses operate on 46 routes in the city.
“We have seen a staggering increase in attacks on our buses — in particular along the N2 Express routes serving passengers from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha,” urban mobility MMC Rob Quintas said on Thursday.
“The affect on commuters is devastating. We cannot operate buses with smashed windows and must withdraw the bus from service. That means the trips scheduled for that bus are missed or delayed for as long as the bus is in for repairs. Commuters don’t arrive at work or school on time and there are long queues at stations and stops because the full fleet is not operational due to vandalism.”
The buses were stoned between November 1 and January 31. Damaged vehicles are taken out of service for up to two days to replace broken windows and windshields at a cost of R7,000 to R10,000 each, depending on the size.
An 18m bus transporting 120 passengers at a time usually made three trips during the morning commuter peak period on the N2 Express routes — potentially affecting up to 360 passengers from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha if it was damaged and withdrawn for repairs during that time.
“Vandalism is a problem. The cost to replace and repair the damage to our MyCiTi fleet is shocking. Then there is the indirect cost to commuters — the residents who lose out on an income because they are late for work or spend hours longer commuting, waiting in queues, because we do not have enough buses to transport them,” said Quintas.
Communities were urged to report the perpetrators to the police or city.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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