No licence, no ride: Gauteng’s crackdown on scholar transport safety

Gauteng transport MEC spokesperson Lesiba Mpya. Picture: Oratile Mashilo/ The Citizen The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport said issuing operating licences to scholar transport operators is a key step towards improving safety for pupils travelling to and from school. This comes as the department on Tuesday handed over operating licences to eligible scholar transport operators, a move officials say will strengthen compliance and accountability in the sector.

Speaking toThe Citizenon the sidelines of the handover, Gauteng transport MEC spokesperson Lesiba Mpya said the licences were not only regulatory tools but also economic enablers that encourage operators to prioritise safe services. Mpya said operating licences provide operators with economic certainty, which in turn motivates them to ensure safer transport services for pupils. “The operating licence firstly, it is an economic tool.

It’s an economic enabler. It’s like more or less your title deed, which gives you security of tenure,” Mpya said. “This gives you economic certainty, and where you are deriving economic value as an operator, you take extraordinary measures to make sure that your service is safe, reliable and affordable.” He said national legislation already places the responsibility for passenger safety on operators.

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“Even legislation, the National Road Traffic Act, Section 49, expects that the owners must make sure that people are safe when they are on board, taken off the vehicle safely and transported safely. That responsibility rests with the owner and driver of that vehicle,” Mpya said. The department also plans to intensify law enforcement to ensure scholar transport vehicles comply with regulations.

Mpya said safety would remain “non-negotiable” and warned that authorities would not compromise when it comes to enforcing the law. “We are certainly going to increase boots on the ground. Enforcement is going to be the order of the day,” he said.

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