Golden Arrow to raise selected cash fares by 4.5% from 28 September

Golden Arrow Bus Services will increase selected cash fares by an average of 4.5% from Monday, 28 September 2026.

The Cape Town bus operator said Gold Card multi-journey tickets would remain unchanged. Most peak-period cash fares will also stay at their current levels.

The adjustment will apply mainly to off-peak cash fares paid on buses between 08:00 and 16:00, according to company spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyer. A limited number of peak cash fares will also increase.

Operating costs behind adjustment

Golden Arrow attributed the change to sustained increases in operating costs, including fuel and vehicle maintenance. The company said it had limited the adjustment to selected cash fares to reduce the impact on passengers who rely on buses for work, school and other daily travel.

Passengers using Gold Card multi-journey products will continue paying the same prices. Those products require travellers to buy rides in advance and are used by many regular commuters.

The operator had not published a full route-by-route fare table in the information reviewed by EBNewsDaily. Passengers who pay cash should therefore check the amount for their route before the new prices take effect.

Golden Arrow runs scheduled bus services across Cape Town and surrounding areas. Its fare decisions affect commuters travelling between residential areas, business districts and transport interchanges throughout the metropolitan area.

The 4.5% figure is an average across the selected fares, meaning the change for an individual route may differ. The company said it had concentrated the increase on cash travel outside the busiest commuting periods.

The new fares take effect on 28 September. Gold Card multi-journey ticket prices and most peak cash fares remain excluded from the adjustment announced on Saturday.