Cape Town unveils New Look Transport System, MYCiTi

A new transport project that has the potential to change the city of Cape Town

Cape Town unveiled the name, colours and design of its first branded  Integrated Rapid Transport buses, at the Granger Bay IRT Bus Station near the new Cape Town Stadium, on 6th May 2010.

The brand name, MYCiTI, identifies a user friendly service which transports people safely, conveniently, reliably and helps people avoid being stuck in traffic.  This means that Cape Town will be a better place to live, work and invest resources.

At the launch, Cllr Elizabeth Thompson, Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Roads and Major Projects, said: “We want people to feel proud to live in a world-class city with modern facilities. MYCiTi will give citizens a sense of control, ownership, greater choice, mobility and access to opportunities.”

Alderman Ian Neilson, Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for finance, added: “This is more than an improved transport system – it takes public transport to a new level. There are dedicated roadways and the buses have two doors for quick loading.”

The brand name, MYCiTi, is both easy to use and unique to Cape Town. The central theme is a ribbon, which represents links, and ultimately unifies the city.

 “The brand incorporates blue to represent the sea and red to represent the dedicated roadways that MYCiTi will use,” explained Simon Arenhold, Managing Director of Switch, the company who created the brand, “All of these elements are combined to form the identity of Cape Town and this iconic logo captures this exhilarating city.”

The slogan ‘siyajikeleza, laat wiel, going places’, not only represents achievement and going places in one’s life, but also the underlying promise that the IRT will expand as the city grows. It’s hoped that the IRT will extend to other forms of transport, like dial-a-ride, shuttle services and bicycles.

The City has ordered 43 IRT buses, eight 18m long articulated buses and thirty five 12m long buses. The buses will first be used during the 2010 FIFA World Cup to ferry visitors from the airport to and around the central city and will provide a free shuttle service on match days from the Hertzog Boulevard Station to Cape Town Stadium for people who hold tickets to the match. After the World Cup, the buses will be used in the roll out of Phase 1a. The airport shuttle service will launch on Saturday, 29th May 2010.

Alderman Nielson added: “People didn’t believe that we could build a soccer stadium and transport system in three years, but this proves that we can.”

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