72 stone attacks on MyCiTi buses, 144 service days lost in three months
A total of 72 MyCiTi buses have been stoned over the past three months, with the majority of these attacks along the N2 Express routes between the Civic Centre station and Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha. The staggering number has a significant impact on the City of Cape Town’s ability to meet passenger demand on these routes as every bus with damaged windows needs to be withdrawn from the service for repairs that can take up to two days at a time. Read more below:
The City’s Urban Mobility Directorate keeps a record of attacks on our MyCiTi fleet that operates 46 routes across Cape Town.
‘We have seen a staggering increase in attacks on our buses – in particular along the N2 Express routes serving passengers from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha. Mostly, it is young men and learners that throw stones at passing buses, smashing windscreens and side windows. We cannot fathom why they are vandalising the very service their mothers and fathers and they, themselves, need to get to work and school. The impact on commuters from these areas is devastating. We cannot operate buses with smashed windows and must immediately withdraw the bus from service. That means all the trips scheduled for that particular bus are missed, or delayed, for as long as the bus is in for repairs. Commuters then either don’t arrive at work or school on time, and there are long queues at stations and stops because the full fleet is not operational due to vandalism,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas.
The statistics for attacks on the MyCiTi service, across all 46 routes, are as follows:
- 72 buses were stoned from 1 November 2022 to 31 January 2023. This equates to 144 days that the service could not operate with a full fleet due to stonings alone, given that it takes up to two days to replace windscreens and side windows
- Thus, on average, 24 buses were attacked in November 2022, December 2022 and January this year – a staggering increase in the monthly average of five buses attacked with stones and other objects between 1 November 2021 and 31 October 2022
- 30 buses were stoned in November 2022 alone, rendering these buses out of service for at least two days at a time to replace windscreens and side windows
- 23 buses were stoned in December 2022
- 19 buses were stoned in January 2023
- Up to 70% of the stoning attacks occurred along the N2 Express routes between the Civic Centre station and Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha, and the balance along other routes across the whole of Cape Town
- An 18m bus can transport 120 passengers at a time and usually operates three trips during the morning peak hour on the N2 Express routes – thus, when vandals attack and smash the windows of an 18m bus up to 360 passengers from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha are affected in the morning peak
- The cost to replace a smashed windscreen or window is between R7 000 and R10 000 each, depending on the size of the window
‘Vandalism is a scourge. The cost in rand to replace and repair the damage to our MyCiTi fleet is shocking. Then, there is the indirect cost to commuters – the residents who lose out on an income because they are late for work, or spend hours longer on commuting, waiting in queues, because we do not have enough buses to transport them to their destinations.
‘I’m pleading with our communities to please report the people responsible to the South African Police Service, or the City. We pay an award of up to R5 000 to those who help us with information that will lead to the arrest and successful conviction of these criminals who sabotage and destroy our assets. We are committed to providing a punctual and reliable MyCiTi service. Please help us and please help your community. In the end, the MyCiTi bus service belongs to you,’ said Councillor Quintas.
Where to report vandalism, sabotage, and theft:
- Phone 107 from a landline
- Phone 021 480 7700 from a cellphone
- Phone the City’s call centre on 0860 103 089
Statement issued by Councillor Rob Quintas, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, 2 February 2023
