The City of Cape Town and the Table View School Forum (TVSF) are giving schoolchildren whistles to protect themselves from criminals preying on them at MyCiTi stations.
The project was launched in Table View on Tuesday June 14 and helps youth “make a noise” when they feel unsafe.
The 11 800 whistles were distributed among representatives of 16 schools by mayoral committeee member for transport, Brett Herron, and councillors Joy McCarthy and Heather Brenner.
“The TVSF represents a significant portion of our daily passengers and the fact that some passengers may not feel entirely safe on their way to and from MyCiTi bus stops or stations resulted in the whistle project,” said Mr Herron.
“In addition, all of the whistles have the contact number on the back (0800 65 64 63) of the Transport Information Centre (TIC). The number is a reminder of who to contact when you plan your journey or for updates on public transport services. The TIC is not an emergency centre,” said Mr Herron.
TVSF chairman Brad Espin said Table View was the first area to receive the whistles and schools would educate pupils on how and when to use them .
“In a team effort between teachers and the Transport for Cape Town members, we came up with the whistle project. We are the first area where the project was rolled out. Whistles were also distributed in Atlantis on Youth Day, because of the issues with safety faced there,” he said.