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- In 2023, the City’s Traffic Services conducted 61 operations focusing on scholar transport across the metropole.
- These interventions resulted in 238 vehicles impounded and 5 407 fines issued for a range of transgressions.
- A key challenge remains the number of drivers transporting children without the necessary permits and qualifications.
With the school year under way, operators are advised to stay within the confines of the law.
In 2023, the City’s Traffic Services conducted 61 operations focusing on scholar transport across the metropole.
These interventions resulted in 238 vehicles impounded and 5 407 fines issued for a range of transgressions.
A key challenge remains the number of drivers transporting children without the necessary permits and qualifications.
“Providing a service without the necessary operating licence is one thing, but even more scary and disconcerting is the number of people who get behind the wheel without a professional driving permit, or even a driving licence. It is absolutely mind-boggling, and speaks to a complete disregard for the young lives in their care. Add overloaded and unroadworthy vehicles to the mix, and you have a recipe for potential disaster,” says the Mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith.
According to Smith, the situation is compounded by the fact that there is such a high demand for scholar transport, coupled with a lack of understanding of the law, which allows unscrupulous operators to fly beneath the radar, until they’re involved in a collision, or are caught by our traffic officers.
“My appeal to the public in 2024 is to familiarise themselves with the requirements for scholar transport operators, and to report anyone who is not operating legally, for the sake of our children,” said Smith.
In terms of the law, there are two main considerations for scholar transport operators – driver fitness, and vehicle fitness.
Drivers have to be in possession of a valid operating licence, driving licence and professional driving permit (PrDP).
Vehicles should not be older than 12 years, must be registered and licenced in the Western Cape, must have a special “vehicle fitness” certificate and undergo roadworthy testing every six months, and must be fitted with a seatbelt for every passenger, and a car seat for each child younger than three.
Parents and caregivers have a right and a duty to request the credentials of their service providers, to check that the vehicle complies with the specifications set out, and to report any transgressions to the Provincial Regulatory Entity at the Shadow Centre in Athlone, or via the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre by dialling 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.
