Public Transport in Cape Town

Every day, thou­sands of Capetonian com­muters use pub­lic trans­port to get where they need to be. Squeezing into minibus taxis and train car­riages, it’s a long haul to and from work for many of the Mother City’s cit­izens. Public trans­port offers a cost-effective way of trav­el­ling in our fair city and also allows one to immerse one­self in its day-to-day cul­ture. The bed­rock of trans­port on Cape Town's roads is the minibus taxi. From dawn until well past mid­night, these rugged little 12– to 15-seaters shuttle back and forth along the city's main roads and high­ways. Although the driver often takes a cre­at­ive approach to traffic reg­u­la­tions, weav­ing through traffic and slip­ping into by-roads in their bid to get all pas­sen­gers where they're going as quickly as pos­sible, the taxi can be an inter­est­ing, if some­what exhil­ar­at­ing experience.

For a fare of as little as R4, you can hop onboard and become part of the com­munity. The con­ductor or “kaartjie”, as he is col­lo­qui­ally known, nor­mally acts as some­thing of a maitre d' to the whole exper­i­ence, wel­com­ing you onboard, find­ing a seat for you, col­lect­ing your fare and induct­ing you into the com­munal con­ver­sa­tion. Though these taxis oper­ate on a set route, the con­ductor or driver can give you a run-down of the criss-crossing routes of all the taxi ranks. If you know how the sys­tem works, they can take you right into the heart of the city, or into the dis­tant suburbs.

Another option is the Metro train sys­tem. At very reas­on­able rates (R5.50 for a deluxe "Metro Plus" ticket) the trains offer the scenic route between the city centre and the pen­in­su­lar coast. The Southern Line runs through the sub­urbs, from Cape Town to Simonstown, and is a great way to take a day explor­ing the coastal towns and the many res­taur­ants, bars and ice cream par­lours therein. The trains are also a good oppor­tun­ity to come face to face with dif­fer­ent cross-sections of the vibrant Cape Town com­munity (although for a "Metro Plus" ticket you can still have space to stretch your legs), and some­times offer informal live theatre, music or soap-box ser­mons right there in the carriage.

There are also the Golden Arrow bus ser­vices which provide bus trans­port through­out the Cape Metropolitan area. This includes outly­ing areas such Mitchell’s Plain, Phillipi and Simonstown and hence are essen­tial for people who need to get to places away from the Cape Town city centre. These ubi­quit­ous vehicles can be recog­nised by their dis­tinct­ive green orange and white brand­ing and are a very use­ful resource to keep in mind when want­ing to travel. A timetable can be found at http://www.gabs.co.za/timetables.aspx.

Finally, Cape Town's tour­ist scenes and night spots always have plenty of meter taxis on offer. Though these cost quite a bit more (always ask the driver his rate before get­ting in) they will take you dir­ect to wherever you want to go at any time of day and night. The drivers always have a story to tell or a sym­path­etic ear, if you've got a story of your own.

Links to Related Pages about Cape Town:
Cape Town Travel
Cape Town Accommodation
Cape Town Hotels
Cape Town Attractions