Using public transport in Cape Town

If you are staying within central Cape Town you will find many of the main attractions are within relatively easy walking distance or if it's late a night, a short Uber drive away. As far as South African cities go Cape Town does have a relatively well-integrated public transport system and work is ongoing to improve it.

Most visitors will find the myCiti bus network the most user-friendly option with plenty of routes that pass by the biggest tourist sites such as Camps Bay and the V&A Waterfront. Alternatively, if your stay is focused on sightseeing, the open-top hop-on hop-off City Sightseeing bus is a very convenient and good value option that will take you to all of the biggest sights, including places that are a little further out of town (and hence which could be expensive to reach in a taxi) such as Groot Constantia wine estate, Hout Bay and the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

Cape Town also has a rail network, Metrorail, that is extremely cheap to use, although unfortunately the service often suffers delays and is not very reliable time-wise. In 2021 new trains were rolled out on the network and security has been significantly improved although it now remains for the City to ensure that the service becomes more reliable. The train mainly services the Cape Flats and suburbs en route to the main station such as Observatory and Salt River. There is also a very scenic (and very slow) route that heads out along the coast to Simon's Town stopping at other popular beach towns such as Muizenberg and Kalk Bay along the way.

E-hailing services Uber and Bolt also operate in and around Cape Town and are often the best option for getting back to your hotel if you head out to a bar or restaurant at night.

MyCiti Bus Service

MyCiti Bus Service was started in the days of the 2010 FIFA world cup as a form of transport to and from stadiums and is now common use of transport for the citizens, and visitors of Cape Town moving around the city for work or leisure. You can easily spot a MyCiti bus in its blue and red colour. The bus service has routes throughout the city.

HOW TO USE THE MyCiti BUS
In order to use the MyCiti bus service, you need to purchase a myconnect card at a MyCiti station or participating retailer (such as Spar) for R35 and load the card with money to tap in on the bus and travel. Remember to tap out as well at the end of your trip, fees depend on the distance traveled. To help plan your journey, the MyCiti website has all the route maps. We recommend downloading the MyCiti app available on Android and Apple app stores for detail on routes and live updates about delays. You can also load money to your myconnect card on the app.

Need to know: If you tap your myconnect card incorrectly during trips, you will be charged a penalty of R90 so be very careful to tap correctly in between trips.

Useful MyCiti Cape Town routes
From the airport to the Civic Centre: A01, the bus stops at the Civic Centre bus station located on Hertzog Boulevard in Cape Town. The first bus leaves at 05:30 and departs every 20mins after that. MyCiti Airport bus station is at the Transport Plaza.

Camps Bay beach: Route 106 goes from Camps Bay beach to the Civic Centre bus station, route 107 is anti-clockwise from the Civic Centre bur station to Camps Bay beach

V&A Waterfront and Oranjezicht City Farm Market: For a day of shopping, route 104 starts with the Oranjezicht City Farm Market on that same route you will reach the waterfront, Sea Point

Table mountain: route 110 takes you to and from the Lower Cableway without stops in between. Buses operate every 15-20 minutes daily from 07:30 until 19:00.

More detailed routes and destinations

Taxi cabs and ride-hailing services
Since its launch in late 2014, Uber has become a popular ride-hailing system of choice. Generally speaking, it is extremely safe, quick and reliable, and much more competitively priced than regular transfer and meter taxi companies. Uber's main competitor is the local ride-hailing service Bolt, which is cheaper but has a poorer reputation for customer service.

Need to know: Avoid requesting an Uber if you are close to a metered taxi rank, meter taxi drivers and Uber drivers have frequently been in conflict with each other. If you are at a train station or other major landmark such as a shopping mall, usually your Uber app will direct you to a specially designated Uber pickup point. Be mindful of 'phone snatchers' who are known to target people distracting by the Uber app while standing in busy public places.

E-hailing services
Since its launch in Joburg in late 2014, Uber has become the Joburg ride-hailing system of choice. Generally speaking, it is extremely safe, quick and reliable, and much more competitively priced than regular transfer and meter taxi companies. Uber's main competitor is the local ride-hailing service Bolt, which is cheaper but has a poorer reputation for customer service.

Need to know: Avoid requesting an Uber if you are close to a metered taxi rank, meter taxi drivers and Uber drivers have frequently been in conflict with each other. If you are at a train station or other major landmark such as a shopping mall, usually your Uber app will direct you to a specially designated Uber pickup point. Be mindful of 'phone snatchers' who are known to target people distracted by the Uber app while standing in busy public places, or may pretend to be an Uber. Check the number plate when you order and then put your phone away out of sight.

Up Cycles Bike rentals
Cape Town’s first drop-and-go bicycle rental company Up Cycles Bike has three places to rent a bike: Sea Point Pavilion (main branch), V&A Waterfront (in the Silo District), and Camps Bay station at the Bay hotel on the Victoria road strip. You can cycle these bike rentals at Sea Point promenade, up to Camps Bay, through the V&A Waterfront. Cape Town city centre does have some bike plans but be very mindful of one-ways, and cars crossing through lanes at junctions.

Up Cycles Bike rentals prices
There is a selection of fleet bicycles, basic mountain bikes, road bikes, bikes suited for kids with child seats for toddlers, and carriages for smaller toddlers. Bike rentals are from 08:30-sunset daily from R80 per hour - R300 for a full day. The last rides for the day are for 30minutes only and will always depart 30minutes prior to sunset. There are different prices for the use of mountain bikes, road bikes, and E-Bikes available pre-booked only. Safety gear such as helmets and locks are free of charge. If you’re going as a group of friends or family, we recommend you ask about the special rates for large groups.

Driving and car rental

If you have a driving license Cape Town is easily explored by car (although bear in mind that at tourist hotspots parking can be an issue). There are numerous car rental companies at both Cape Town airports. When driving, plan your route before setting off, and store valuable items out of sight. South Africans drive on the left-hand side of the road, passing on the right (usually). Maximum speed is a nippy 60km/h on urban roads, 100km/h on national roads, and 120km/h on highways.

Fuel is widely available. Hog the middle lane and don’t seem to mind being passed on all sides. Avoid driving behind minibus taxis in the left lane because they make frequent unannounced stops. Traffic lights (South Africans call them robots) sometimes don’t work; treat the crossing as a four-way stop. Jaywalking is popular, especially in the inner city, and not uncommon even on freeways. Street signs are not always visible, and many addresses are given as the corner of two streets rather than as a numbered single-street address.

Cape Town International Airport
There are two terminals at Cape Town International Airport, namely, international and domestic. There are various forms of transport to take you from the airport into the city including, bus services, metered taxis, and Uber/Bolt services.

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