Cape Town names its rapid transit buses

By Khanyisa Tabata
06 May 2010

Cape Town has unveiled the name, brand and colours for its new integrated rapid transit system. The first buses arrived in the city earlier this week.

The project has been dubbed My City. It will focus on creative ideas in Cape Town concerning ownership.

City spokesperson Kylie Hatton says the new public transport system will be known as MYCiTi.

"We hope users of MYCiTi will feel a sense of belonging and ownership when they are passengers or refer to the service. This name identifies a user-friendly service which transports people safely, conveniently, reliably and helps them avoid being stuck in traffic.

"As the IRT rolls out across Cape Town in the coming years, it aims to be much more than a transport system, it must give citizens a sense of control, ownership, greater choice, mobility and access to opportunities, " said Hatton.

The name MYCiTi is multilingual, easy to use for Capetonians and visitors alike, and unique to Cape Town with its play on the city’s name.

The logo shape is aligned to the City's corporate identity. The red ribbon in the logo is an abstract interpretation of Devil's Peak, Table Mountain and Lion's Head and also resembles the red roads that MyCiTi buses will use as they weave through Cape Town.

The font or letter type is bold to easily identify the system while the colour palette is warm and approachable. The inspiration is drawn from the many colours of the deep blue ocean that surrounds the Cape Peninsula. The accent colour red represents red IRT roads, but is also symbolic of the connections that the system will offer to all its passengers across the city.

The launch was attended by Councillor Elizabeth Thompson, Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Roads and Major Projects who said the city believes the exhilaration of this new brand design matches that of the Cape Town experience.

The slogan, ‘siyajikeleza, laat wiel, going places’ is obviously related to transport, but it also represents other themes central to the IRT service including a sense of achievement and of going places in one's life.