Cape Town - Post Report Question and Answers
Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
I avoided these due to safety and security cautions. - Aug 2021
Taxis and ubers are available. - Apr 2021
Uber is our choice when using taxis. When I was younger, I used local transportation and got to know the real city that way - the taxis are a culture unto themselves! Trains have been more and more unreliable lately, but they are an option. - Feb 2018
U.S. consulate staff are forbidden from using local buses, trams or trains due to safety issues. There are two kinds of taxis in Cape Town -- minibus taxis and your standard sedan taxis. The minibus taxis primarily serve working-class locals; they are driven unsafely, frequently on strike, and often involved in violence against rival taxi companies. The standard sedan taxis are safe if you stick with respectable companies -- check with local contacts. When arriving in Cape Town, the registered taxi companies with a presence inside Cape Town airport -- the ones inside the actual building -- are reliable.
Uber is available here and reliable, though be warned that in Johannesburg/Pretoria, taxi drivers sometimes attack Uber drivers and force their passengers out of the car; this has not happened yet (to my knowledge) in Cape Town. - Oct 2017
Consulate staff aren't allowed to take trains, buses, or minibus taxis. Meter taxis are safe. - May 2014
Taxis are OK, if you call for one and are expecting it. Any hotel or business can do this for you. Otherwise--No, No, No. Consulate personnel are not permitted to us local trains or mini-buses. The luxury Roovos Rail is another story, but you have to be prepared to spend big bucks for this 5-star event. - Aug 2013
Very affordable and safe if you know where you are going. Travel with locals for a while before venturing out on minibus taxis or buses alone - the train from Cape Town to Simon's Town is cheap, easy, and a beautiful ride. - Oct 2007
