Commuters travelling on the MyCiTi D01 route between Khayelitsha and the Civic Centre station can expect to see some temporary changes as the City of Cape Town begins refurbishing the fleet operating on the busy N2 Express service.
The City has leased 14 buses to ensure services continue uninterrupted while the refurbishment programme takes place over the next three months. The temporary buses officially entered service on Monday, 11 May 2026.
According to the City, the refurbishment project will extend the lifespan of the buses and improve their overall condition, with commuters expected to benefit from vehicles that will be “as good as new” once the work is complete.
MyCiTi commuters from Mitchells Plain are also expected to benefit, as low-floor buses currently used on the D01 route will be redeployed to boost capacity on Mitchells Plain services.
However, the temporarily leased buses differ from the standard MyCiTi fleet in one key way: they are high-floor buses. This means they cannot dock at the Civic Centre station platform, which is specifically designed for low-floor buses.
As a result, D01 passengers travelling to and from the Civic Centre will now use a temporary stop on Hertzog Boulevard outside the Artscape Theatre Centre.
The City says commuters can still make use of the Civic Centre station facilities by tapping in and out within a 45-minute window without incurring additional costs.
Passengers transferring to other routes will also need to tap out on the temporary bus service before proceeding into the station to continue their journeys.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, acknowledged that the temporary arrangements may cause inconvenience, but said the measures are necessary to maintain reliable public transport services.
Quintas also noted that the leased buses do not include universal accessibility features such as boarding ramps and dedicated wheelchair spaces. However, he said low-floor buses will continue operating on the D01 route to accommodate commuters in wheelchairs.
