The City of Cape Town has started its electrification project for the permanent MyCiTi bus stops along the N2 Express routes in Khayelitsha.

The approximately R2.6 million project will see 31 of the 35 stops along the route provided with permanent lighting as part of the city’s drive to improve the service.

According to the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport and Urban Development, Councillor Brett Herron the N2 Express routes have become increasingly popular since their introduction.

“Nearly 115 000 passengers travel along the N2 Express routes between Khayelitsha and the Civic Centre each month. Our records show that on average, 3 700 commuters board the MyCiTi buses in the morning peak-hour period on weekdays. These routes are very popular and we are working hard to continually improve the service,” he said.

Lighting the way for safety

Each bus shelter will be fitted with three lights. “There is one light fitting for the feeder route map so that commuters can see the departure and arrival times of the buses, another for the advertising box, and a third external totem light to light up the stop location,” he added.

Commenting on the project the Councillor Anda Ntsodo, City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Area East, said the project is very important because commuters will no longer have to wait in the dark.

“Some of these commuters – among them mothers on their way to work and learners going to school – wait for the MyCiTi buses long before sunrise. Lighting in the bus shelters will make a huge difference to the commuters’ experience of the MyCiTi service and to their personal safety in general,” she added.

Councillor Herron noted that the light fittings are as theft and vandal-proof as possible however he has still called on the community to take ownership of the project and refrain from theft or vandalising.

He also reiterated the need for the community to report these acts as they not only cost the city but pose a threat to vulnerable commuters who travel late at night or early in the morning.