Cape Town - The MyCiTi vehicle-operating company, Kidrogen, is to step in to help hundreds of commuters left stranded in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain after the N2 Express joint venture was still suspended.
Kidrogen chief executive Andile Peter said the company was willing to assist commuters while the City and the N2 Express continued negotiations. Kidrogen provides the MyCiTi services for Dunoon and Table View to CBD routes.
“We cannot rest while our people are struggling. We are prepared to assist in any way we can,” Peter said.
ANC leader in the Cape Town council Xolani Sotashe said in a briefing on Wednesday they could not sit back and watch commuters being victims of circumstances beyond their control.
Sotashe said the ANC had initiated a meeting with Mayor Dan Plato to find amicable solutions to the MyCiTi problems.
“ANC proposals agreed to by the Congress of Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) leadership were that MyCiTi N2 Express resume immediately after Codeta agreed to use the services of Kidrogen, and that Trans Peninsula render interim services to Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain.”
He said Codeta would enter into a six-to eight-month contract with the City to run the services on their own, and “this interim arrangement is to allow both parties to finalise the long-term contract”.
Codeta spokesperson Besuthu Ndungane refused to confirm what Sotashe had said, and said the association would call their own briefing on the matter.
However, Plato confirmed that he met with the ANC at their request.
“Unfortunately, as the officials are still involved in resolving the challenge with the N2 Express service, we are not able to divulge any further details at this point in time. As soon as we are able to, we will provide an update. Negotiations are ongoing.
Service providers are assisting commuters in accessing transport,” Plato said.
Mayco member for transport Felicity Purchase said: “I want to inform MyCiTi commuters that we are meeting with the stakeholders from the N2 Express service on a day-to-day basis. We are all committed to finding a long-term solution that will get the MyCiTi buses back on the road.”
Purchase said commuters from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha should “please note that the City will be refunding MyCiTi passengers who have bought monthly packages for the N2 Express service as from Friday morning, June 7. The refund will be immediate, and in cash”.
She said commuters would be refunded between 6am and 9.45pm on Monday, June 10.
“The refunds will be paid out at the Civic Centre station over the next two weeks, until Friday evening, June 21.”
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