The first steps have been taken by the City of Cape Town to provide free WiFi for passengers travelling on MyCiTi buses.

It was announced yesterday that a suitable service provider was being identified and that the tender process for this should be completed in the latter part of the year. From as early as 2016, passengers will be able to save their precious data and make use of the 50MB daily limit while travelling on the buses. It’s not much, but it’s a start.

The chosen service provider, a tantalizing prospect for local telecommunications companies, will be initiially rolling out a six-month trail, along a designated route, before more follow suit.

I think that offering free WiFi on public transport is a great step forward for us and expect this to be the catalyst of additional free WiFi areas becoming readily available in the city.

Read more here.

Photography Cape Town Partnership

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67 Comments
  • aFREAKaSA
    aFREAKaSA
    July 10, 2015 at 9:23 am

    Rustytomato CapeTownEtc THAT is very groovy. Nice one guys. #aFREAKaSA

  • Rustytomato
    Rustytomato
    July 10, 2015 at 9:30 am

    aFREAKaSA CapeTownEtc MyCiTiBus Groovy indeed! Awesome start.

  • Thaabit Manan
    Thaabit Manan
    July 10, 2015 at 9:30 am

    Paid service?

  • Carlo Costa
    Carlo Costa
    July 10, 2015 at 9:47 am

    Way to go!

  • Charmaine Sequeira
    Charmaine Sequeira
    July 10, 2015 at 9:52 am

    Keagan Sequeira Zane Sequeira FYI

  • Zane Sequeira
    Zane Sequeira
    July 10, 2015 at 9:54 am

    U0001f44cU0001f3fc

  • Jess Wilson
    Jess Wilson
    July 10, 2015 at 9:56 am

    Olivia Hannah Coetzee

  • Elana Polakow
    Elana Polakow
    July 10, 2015 at 10:06 am

    They need air cons as well

  • Olivia Hannah Coetzee
    Olivia Hannah Coetzee
    July 10, 2015 at 10:07 am

    Woohooo! Can troll the Internet every where I go!

  • Fatima Bibi Sayed Moostafah
    Fatima Bibi Sayed Moostafah
    July 10, 2015 at 10:42 am

    oh great busses with wifi… yet millions without food !!!!

  • Gary Hennink
    Gary Hennink
    July 10, 2015 at 10:42 am

    WOW!!!

  • John McAllister
    John McAllister
    July 10, 2015 at 10:52 am

    Too late for me.

  • Teresa Omodeo
    Teresa Omodeo
    July 10, 2015 at 10:59 am

    Some Mycity busses do have aircon Elana Polakow. You sometimes have to ask the drivers to switch it on.

  • Graham Grant Hayward
    Graham Grant Hayward
    July 10, 2015 at 11:56 am

    Progressive province and progressive ideas.Well done.Great value.

  • Tebogo Donald Ntlapo
    Tebogo Donald Ntlapo
    July 10, 2015 at 12:02 pm

    Last city told us free wi-fi at train station all I experience there is the visit of jamming device

  • Simphiwe Phaphama Landu
    Simphiwe Phaphama Landu
    July 10, 2015 at 12:13 pm

    Well Fatima Bibi Sayed Moostafah are those millions in this City?

  • Vaughan Giose
    Vaughan Giose
    July 10, 2015 at 12:41 pm

    Can we get proper stops for the minibus taxis so passengers don’t stop them wherever, but at designated stops, like the busses? After all the majority of people use taxi’s in SA, not BRT.

  • Vaughan Giose
    Vaughan Giose
    July 10, 2015 at 12:42 pm

    When they start serving us?

  • Graham Grant Hayward
    Graham Grant Hayward
    July 10, 2015 at 12:43 pm

    Most probably put there by parliament

  • Tebogo Donald Ntlapo
    Tebogo Donald Ntlapo
    July 10, 2015 at 12:44 pm

    Lmao *hides

  • Graham Grant Hayward
    Graham Grant Hayward
    July 10, 2015 at 12:45 pm

    Nothing for free here

  • Danika Treurnicht
    Danika Treurnicht
    July 10, 2015 at 1:00 pm

    Next time we have to do a project we just get around in the busses for the day Keagan

  • Elana Polakow
    Elana Polakow
    July 10, 2015 at 1:06 pm

    Its a fan not an air con, well the ones i have been on has no air cons

  • Linda Jane Walton
    Linda Jane Walton
    July 10, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    That’s a bpnus

  • Elaine Ridgway
    Elaine Ridgway
    July 10, 2015 at 1:18 pm

    So what have you done about it?

  • Elaine Ridgway
    Elaine Ridgway
    July 10, 2015 at 1:21 pm

    Great news! Another great initiative by our City to get Cape Town up to the standard of all other major cities in the world!

  • Fatima Bibi Sayed Moostafah
    Fatima Bibi Sayed Moostafah
    July 10, 2015 at 1:22 pm

    Firstly … what i give to the less fortunate is not something to go around and talk about … 2ndly … their are millions of people without homes yet they thought with the extra money il put wifi ?

  • Ian Potter
    Ian Potter
    July 10, 2015 at 1:34 pm

    Wow! Even Vietnam has free wifi on most long distance busses, even taxis. SA is wayyy behind a lot of countries when it comes to internet

  • Allan Jackets
    Allan Jackets
    July 10, 2015 at 1:37 pm

    Good

  • Graham Grant Hayward
    Graham Grant Hayward
    July 10, 2015 at 1:37 pm

    Social benefits are supplied via our taxes in the Cape to the ANC government.Maybe it’s a good idea to ask them rather ?

  • Graham Grant Hayward
    Graham Grant Hayward
    July 10, 2015 at 1:41 pm

    Good question

  • Rudi Linsley-Noakes
    Rudi Linsley-Noakes
    July 10, 2015 at 1:49 pm

    Fatima, I think you closed minded in seeing the bigger picture here. MyCiti was running at a loss, to interject capital into something that can appeal to the business community, it has the potential of making more money for the country. I really think you giving a homeless man R2 that he will use for tik isn’t helping the community, which NGO’s do you send thousands to? Thought so!

  • Glynis van der Merwe
    Glynis van der Merwe
    July 10, 2015 at 2:00 pm

    It’s a good idea to give the taxi’s who are the worst drivers a go for their money. WiFi is also much cheaper than feeding millions of people. Stop being so small minded about what they are trying to do here. Making a lot more people happier anyway.

  • Anette Du Preez
    Anette Du Preez
    July 10, 2015 at 2:20 pm

    tell that to Zuma and his little friends – public transport is not the reason they don’t have food

  • Anette Du Preez
    Anette Du Preez
    July 10, 2015 at 2:22 pm

    have you ever calculated the trillions the ANC government is wasting? No…don’t think so.

  • Jenny Ludwig
    Jenny Ludwig
    July 10, 2015 at 2:34 pm

    Great idea!

  • Averille Gail Barry
    Averille Gail Barry
    July 10, 2015 at 2:39 pm

    ITS TIME I TRY THESE BUS TRIPS, I’d like to take every possible route, I’m inquisitive to see where each track leads to, these buses look so safe, just pity some drivers chase, have heard some passengers complain.

  • Damian Ballabio
    Damian Ballabio
    July 10, 2015 at 2:42 pm

    Fatima you need a mind shift. Having free Wifi on the busses is an upgrade and will make life easier for so many people. So just because there are needy people out there means that we all just need to stop living? No.

  • Patricia Kirsten
    Patricia Kirsten
    July 10, 2015 at 2:53 pm

    Now if only they can get the buses to run on time……. That would be absolutely great………

  • Adnaan February
    Adnaan February
    July 10, 2015 at 3:01 pm

    Check when I send this to the Mayor and Premier

  • adnaan118
    adnaan118
    July 10, 2015 at 3:05 pm

    Look when I sent the idea to them, however nobody even had the decency to say thank you.

    ———- Forwarded message ———-
    From: Adnaan February <[email protected]>
    Date: Tue, Aug 5, 2014 at 11:59 AM
    Subject: Wifi in My Citi Buses or on Public transport for that matter
    To: Mayor <[email protected]>, Premier Western Cape <[email protected]>
    Hi Madam Mayor
    I trust that you are well.
    Imagine travelling to work on My Citi bus, you have a scheduled meeting,
    however you ran out of data and you remember that the bus you
    travelling on, offers free wifi, of course it is capped, you can browse
    whilst travelling upload photos, etc.
    Dont you think Madam Mayor that this is awesome venture, meaning that you can reach the internet anywhere anytime.
    Wonderful initiative for World design capital.
    Let me know what you think.
    Have an awesome day.   
    Kind Regards

    Adnaan February

  • MarcAndreDaniels
    MarcAndreDaniels
    July 10, 2015 at 3:11 pm

    An excellent innovation to an already world-class service. I travelled public buses in Kuwait — not as smart as MyCity, but they had free wi-fi. It was a great way to explore the city, with GoogleMaps on the go…..Perhaps with free roaming, passengers will be distracted from the long waits and the slow speed…..Well done, CCT! Perhaps some of the World Design Capital ideas, and the Soccer World Cup spin-offs are beginning to bear some fruit after all!

  • MarcAndreDaniels
    MarcAndreDaniels
    July 10, 2015 at 3:13 pm

    Adnaan118, I submitted the same idea around the same time, via MyCiti’s employees’ forums & meetings. Somebody finally decided it’s a good idea……(and will probably pass it off as their own, too!) 🙂

  • Zahraddean Libyan Saleh
    Zahraddean Libyan Saleh
    July 10, 2015 at 3:21 pm

    Great news!!!

  • adnaan118
    adnaan118
    July 10, 2015 at 3:28 pm

    Sadly though

  • Michelle Bolosha
    Michelle Bolosha
    July 10, 2015 at 3:30 pm

    Quedzanayi Kurt Charidza Christiane Mbanya

  • Quedzanayi Kurt Charidza
    Quedzanayi Kurt Charidza
    July 10, 2015 at 3:46 pm

    Oooooooooo SHIET!!U0001f646U0001f3fdU0001f646U0001f3fd Michelle Bolosha

  • Michelle Bolosha
    Michelle Bolosha
    July 10, 2015 at 3:52 pm

    lol!!!!!!! fam! your future looks goooood

  • Morne Louw
    Morne Louw
    July 10, 2015 at 3:54 pm

    Still safer than a taxi

  • Quedzanayi Kurt Charidza
    Quedzanayi Kurt Charidza
    July 10, 2015 at 3:54 pm

    Dude!! I’m blessedU0001f602U0001f602U0001f602

  • Alvin Hills
    Alvin Hills
    July 10, 2015 at 3:57 pm

    Fantastic news. I’m a happy passenger. ..
    .

  • Caitlin Smith
    Caitlin Smith
    July 10, 2015 at 3:59 pm

    Bradley Harry Van Heerden YAAAAS!!!!!!! U0001f646

  • Moegamat Rocket-Man Blankenberg
    Moegamat Rocket-Man Blankenberg
    July 10, 2015 at 4:07 pm

    What about trunk busses? And the feeders in places like Atlantis?

  • John John Kambani
    John John Kambani
    July 10, 2015 at 4:22 pm

    this is good news, sometimes i cant whatsapp my boss that i will be late because i have no airtime.and the shops to buy airtime are closed

  • Gamuchirai Dulani
    Gamuchirai Dulani
    July 10, 2015 at 4:26 pm

    But now you buy airtime at the station

  • John John Kambani
    John John Kambani
    July 10, 2015 at 4:27 pm

    its always long lines at the station you know

  • Júanell Coetzee
    Júanell Coetzee
    July 10, 2015 at 4:33 pm

    They should be focusing on improving the trains which most people spend more time on. How about making it more reliable, safer, faster and more comfortable….

  • Bradley Harry Van Heerden
    Bradley Harry Van Heerden
    July 10, 2015 at 5:13 pm

    See how I take a random trip to TableView just so that I can download that latest episode of Grays Anatomy Caitlin Smith TurnDownFreeWiFiForWhat U0001f483

  • Christelle Buys
    Christelle Buys
    July 10, 2015 at 6:56 pm

    What an added perk! Now we will definately not be gawking into cars

  • Davina Josias
    Davina Josias
    July 10, 2015 at 8:21 pm

    Wi-fi ??? How about air conditioning on the MyCiti busses on the Civic / Salt River route …

  • Nadine Buttress
    Nadine Buttress
    July 10, 2015 at 10:19 pm

    James Buttress

  • Nicci Todd
    Nicci Todd
    July 10, 2015 at 10:44 pm

    Brandon Steven Nelson –> read this article man. Shows u, u had the right idea… Nice !

  • Naren Sewpaul
    Naren Sewpaul
    July 11, 2015 at 2:56 am

    Yay

  • Margo Prowse
    Margo Prowse
    July 11, 2015 at 6:30 am

    the internet is free in most countries, we have have to pay for ours 🙁

  • Julie Lazarus
    Julie Lazarus
    July 11, 2015 at 11:19 am

    Now all they need is to show their drivers where the indicators of the buses are, because most of the drivers have not discovered them yet. Then they need to tell the drivers what a red traffic light means, There seems to be some confusion about that.

  • Julene Julies
    Julene Julies
    July 11, 2015 at 6:09 pm

    I believe taxis in JHB already offer free wi-fi to their clients.

  • Madri Greyling
    Madri Greyling
    July 11, 2015 at 11:09 pm

    Marinus Greyling geluk!

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