CAPE Town has boosted its fledging MyCiTi rapid public transport service with the addition of 200 new buses this week in a move that tourism authorities say will strengthen the city’s arm in attracting more business tourism to the city.

With most hotels and the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) being easily accessible via the fast expanding MyCiTi service, they say this will make Cape Town more tourist-friendly and more competitive as a conferencing and conventions destination.

To prove this, Western Cape Finance, Economic Development and Tourism MEC, Alan Winde, and about 30 tourism industry volunteers hopped onto buses last week to establish for themselves how convenient the service really is. Winde himself took six minutes to walk from a MyCiTi bus stop at Government Avenue to the Mount Nelson Hotel. “It’s a pretty quick way to get around the city,” he commented afterwards. “In addition, it allows commuters to engage with the city traders and shopkeepers and stimulates our economy.”

Cape Town Convention Bureau head Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo says information gathered from the exercise will be illustrated on a map, which will be used in marketing material that aims to convince international associations to bring their conferences to Cape Town. “Infrastructure a huge requirement when we compete with other cities for events.”

City of Cape Town spokesperson, Kyle Hatton, says the MyCiTi service has already grown from transporting 200 to 9000 people daily. Existing trunk routes include services from the Civic Centre to:

* Cape Town International Airport (04h20 – 21h50)
* Table View – to be extended as far as Melkbosstrand
* Gardens – Civic Centre – V&A Waterfront (06h00-20h00). This is an interim service to be replaced by nine new permanent central city routes by next year.
These will include services to the Bo Kaap, Tamboerskloof, Oranjezicht, Vredehoek, the Atlantic Seabord, the V&A Waterfront, Walmer Estate, Woodstock, Salt River and Hout Bay.

Another trunk route to Khayelitsha and Mitchell’s Plain is also in the pipeline.

Caption:
 
Western Cape Finance, Economic Development and Tourism MEC, Alan Winde, tested out one of Cape Town’s new MyCiTi buses recently to check on its accessibility for major hotels and attractions.