The City of Cape Town has issued a statement indicating the MyCiTi service will be suspended as from Wednesday 12 April, until further notice.
According to the statement, a nationwide strike affecting the entire South African bus industry will take effect on midnight on Wednesday 12 April.
Mayco member for transport, Brett Herron, says the strike action is as a result of deadlocked wage negotiations and the unions who are party to the South African Road Passengers Bargaining Council have subsequently given notice of their intention to embark on a strike.
“The City has been informed that the vehicle operating companies (VOCs) operating the MyCiTi service will institute a lock-out as from midnight on Wednesday 12 April to ensure the safety of commuters and personnel for the duration of the strike. This in effect means that there will be no MyCiTi trunk or feeder services available as from Wednesday morning, for as long as the strike and lock-out continue. We regret the inconvenience caused and the additional pressure it places on commuters to make alternative travel arrangements. The strike will have a serious knock-on effect on all public transport and road-based traffic as nearly 71 000 commuters make use of the MyCiTi service on any given weekday,” he says.
Herron explains the lock-out is necessary to ensure the safety of passengers and personnel, as well as to protect the City’s assets.
“Unfortunately, the lock-out affects all employees of the VOCs who are members of the bargaining units, even the workers who may not be union members. Thus, no MyCiTi buses will be allowed to operate.”
He further says the City will engage with Metrorail and the South African National Taxi Council to see how they can assist in providing additional resources to accommodate commuters who usually make use of bus services to reach their destinations.
“We are expecting a significant increase in the number of vehicles on the city’s road network because the bus commuters will either opt for minibus-taxis or use their own private vehicles to get to work and back. I therefore want to call on private businesses in Cape Town to consider implementing flexible working hours or remote working arrangements for employees where possible and practical for the duration of the strike action.”
“It will bring great relief if private businesses would allow their employees to work remotely from satellite offices for a number of days or hours, allow employees to begin and end working at different times, or allow them to work from home during the peak period and then to travel to work during the off-peak period.”
Apart from the call to private businesses to manage their employees’ working hours during this time, the City is also requesting that residents consider alternative travel arrangements.
At this stage it is unclear for how long the strike and lock-out will continue.
