CAPE TOWN - The MyCiTi bus service will remain grounded for as long as the national bus strike continues, the City of Cape Town said on Wednesday.
The City said the nationwide strike that is affecting the country's bus services will be continuing and therefore, the lock-out instituted by the Vehicle Operating Companies operating the MyCiTi service will remain in place until further notice.
City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Transport and Urban Development, Brett Herron, said: "The strike is impacting on all public transport and road-based traffic as more than 72,000 commuters rely on the MyCiTi service on any given weekday. The city’s road network will remain very busy as bus commuters mostly opt for minibus taxis or use their own private vehicles to get to work and back.
"On this point, I want to acknowledge and thank the minibus taxi industry for their assistance in getting commuters where they need to be. We have seen long queues at minibus taxi facilities this morning. If it was not for these operators thousands of commuters would have been left stranded. I also welcome the assistance that is being provided by Metrorail by operating additional trips where they can – in particular on the Northern and Southern lines."
ALSO READ: WATCH: Commuters countrywide stranded as #BusStrike hits
Herron warned of current events increasing the amount of traffic and commuters travelling times on the road for the duration of the strike.
"Given the strike, the City’s acting City Manager has allowed officials to work flexible working hours where practical and in consultation with their managers. I call on private businesses in Cape Town to follow suit, and to consider implementing flexible working hours or remote working arrangements for employees where possible and practical, for the duration of the strike action," said Herron.
Commuters with monthly MyCiTi tickets will have an extension on their tickets equally to the number of days the strike action lasts which will be determined when the strike comes to an end.
Herron said further details will be communicated to commuters in due course.
However, commuters are advised to visit the MyCiTi website on www.myciti.org.za for regular updates and to follow the service on Twitter @MyCiTiBus or contact the Transport Information Centre on 0800 65 64 63 which is available 24/7