Page 8 - Bulletin 12 2008

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During the early decades of the 18 century numerous short-lived passenger transport
services were introduced and the Cape Town – Wynberg run proved to be the most

viable financially because of the many villages situated along it. Despite the constraints
imposed on viability by the paucity of population south of Wynberg enterprising

individuals did introduce services.

One of the earliest regular post-cart services between Cape Town and Simon’s Town

was started by George Woodgate on 30 May 1801, returning the following day.
However, as Simon’s Town was at this time a winter-only port the service probably did

not run after August. Records are incomplete and it seems that public transport was
resumed only in 1821 when a postal service ran four times weekly with stops at

Newlands and Wynberg. This likely continued until 1827. In 1833 William Moore

started a service between Strand Street, Cape Town and James Bailey’s of Simon’s
Town, but it too probably survived for only one season. Post in these times was carried

instead on horseback by a government contractor who would probably have covered the

distance between Cape Town and Simon’s Town in less than two hours. During 1837
Thomas Thorne ran a short-lived twice weekly passenger and mail service between

Wynberg and Simon’s Town.

During the 1840s Kalk Bay was served by two omnibus operators. One was the firm of
Thomas Cutting and William Boyce who operated mainly between Cape Town and

their omnibus depot on Durban Road, Wynberg, but also ran to Kalk Bay. Another

omnibus service to Kalk Bay and Simon's Town was run by Messrs Norkett and Brown,
livery stable proprietors of Longmarket Street, Cape Town. Their service ran on three

mornings each week and included the government mails contract. James Melville, a
fellow livery stable proprietor, provided the necessary surety against possible non-

fulfilment of the mail contract. However, Norkett and Brown lost the contract to
Melville from July 1847 and he, Melville, ran his first post and passenger service to

Kalk Bay and Simon's Town on 2 July. This marked the beginning of a service that was

to last over 20 years. (Figs. 1.5 & 1.6).