A recent spate of vandalism targeting MyCiTi buses on the N2 Express route has left many commuters stranded or having to use an overcrowded bus to travel.
The City of Cape Town confirmed that a fleet of 26 vehicles, on the route between Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain and the Civic Centre, has been vandalised over the past six months alone.
City Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, said the vandalism comes in the form of stone-throwing, wire tampering and damage to bus doors, with 56% of its fleet out of circulation due to repairs.
He highlighted an incident that occurred last week, in which one bus was targeted on three different occasions in Mitchells Plain.
“A bus carrying dozens of passengers targeted at three separate locations, the Bontebok stop, Spine stop at the AZ Berman school, and Paulsberg stop, resulting in a smashed door and windows, and the terrorising of those on board. These are not minor acts of vandalism; they are serious criminal acts that put lives at risk,” said Quintas in a statement.
Quintas said that not only are buses servicing this route in high demand, but the mileage is also high, with about 800 kilometres of travel a day, prompting the need for regular maintenance. He notes that the vandalism has worsened an already stretched service.
“If the buses were being taken offline for general maintenance or necessary repairs and refurbishments only, there would be far less of an impact on the level of service commuters are experiencing.”
Quintas further noted a trend that more incidents of anti-social behaviour, particularly the stone-throwing, are reported during school holidays.
The ongoing attacks have caused major disruptions for commuters who rely on the service daily because of the significant reduction in the available fleet. Quintas said he empathises with commuters, who often suffer the knock-on effect of being late for work.
“These damaged buses are then out of circulation for a long period unnecessarily which has a huge impact on our commuters as buses are packed to capacity with great delays during peak periods.”
Quintas is now appealing to communities to report illegal activities, in a bid to prevent further incidents. He adds that the quality of the service would also improve once issues like this are resolved.
“It has come to our attention that there have been confirmed cases of tampering on the buses. Help us safeguard your public transport service! Fifty-six percent of the current scheduling issues could be solved if the vandalism stops.”
He further noted that an “aggressive refurbishment programme” is needed and will be carried out in phases.
“Our priority is to provide safety and dignified service to our commuters, however it has to be stressed that the growing vandalism problem greatly stifles our efforts in this regard,” Quintas said.
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