Gauteng warns of strict action against unroadworthy scholar transport vehicles

As the school year approaches, the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRT) has issued a decisive ultimatum to scholar transport operators across the province: comply with safety regulations or face immediate consequences.

In a bid to ensure the safety of students, the department has announced that unroadworthy vehicles and those lacking valid operating permits will be promptly impounded. The schools reopen 14 January.

Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, MEC for Roads and Transport, stated that the safety of students travelling to and from school is non-negotiable, and the government will not tolerate operators who put children's lives in danger.

“For the next nine months, millions of children will depend on drivers to get them to school safely. Every time a child gets into a vehicle or walks near a road, their life is in someone else’s hands. We will not allow unroadworthy vehicles or unlicensed operators to transport our children,” said MEC Diale-Tlabela.

Starting January 14, intensive scholar transport inspections will be conducted at schools, along transportation routes, and during peak travel times.

Drivers without valid licences will be arrested, and vehicles found to be unroadworthy or operating without the necessary permits will be immediately seized.

Additionally, the MEC urged parents to actively participate in their children's safety by declining to pay for risky transportation.

“Parents have power. Your money gives you a voice. Don’t pay for transport in a vehicle that doesn’t have proper seating for every child, working seatbelts, or is visibly unroadworthy. Report unsafe vehicles to us,” she said.

All scholar transport vehicles must:

• Have a valid licence disc and roadworthy certificate
• Be driven by a person with a valid driving licence
• Have proper, fixed seating for every child
• Have functioning seatbelts for all passengers
• Not be overloaded beyond licensed capacity
• Be free of critical defects (including brakes, tyres, lights, and windscreen)

Diale-Tlabela further appealed to all motorists to exercise extra caution near schools and scholar transport vehicles.

“You might not have children in your car, but you share the road with them. That child crossing the road could be distracted or running late. You’re the adult in control of a ton of metal. The responsibility to watch out for them is yours,” she said.

In the Service Delivery Agreement that MEC Diale-Tlabela and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi signed, scholar transport safety is still a top priority.

“We committed to ensuring safe roads for every Gauteng learner. Government is doing its part through enforcement. Now we need every driver, every parent, and every operator to do theirs. E Thoma Ka Wena — It Starts With You,” the MEC said.

In recent months, pupils have died or hurt while using scholar transport vehicles.

Report unsafe scholar transport: 0861 400 800 / (012) 999-5407.