Share

Here is how the national lockdown will affect public transport

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announced on Wednesday how provision will be made for essential transport services to continue, including transport for essential staff and patients.

This after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 21-day lockdown on Monday to minimise the spread of the coronavirus which originated in Wuhan, China.

As of Wednesday, South Africa has 709 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

Rail

- All public and private long distance passenger rail services will stop operations during the lockdown.

- All commuter rail services, such as Metrorail and Gautrain, will shut down.

Aviation

- All international and domestic flights are prohibited, irrespective of the risk category of the country of origin.

- Movement of air cargo will be allowed, however, cargo from high-risk countries will be sanitised.

Maritime

- A ban on cruise ships will be strictly enforced at sea ports.

- Cargo will be allowed at the eight sea ports but cargo from high-risk countries will be sanitised.

Taxis

Minibus taxis:

- They will be allowed to transport essential services workers and "those allowed to make the necessary permitted movements" between 05:00 and 09:00 and 16:00 and 20:00.

- Operators are directed to adhere to social distancing.

- Taxis must be sanitised after every trip.

- Taxi ranks must be sanitised at regular intervals.

Metered taxis and e-hailing:

- Metered taxis and e-hailing vehicles will be allowed to transport essential service workers and "those allowed to make the necessary permitted movements" between 05:00 and 09:00 and 16:00 and 20:00.

- The vehicles must be sanitised after each journey.

- A vehicle licenced to carry up to four people will only be permitted to load one person.

- A vehicle licenced to carry up to eight passengers will only be permitted to load a  maximum of three.

- Sanitisers used in all taxis must have a minimum alcohol content of 60%.

Buses

- Bus operations will be limited to allow for the purposes of rendering essential services.

Cross-border road transport

- All cross-border road passenger movements will be prohibited during the lockdown.

- Cross-border freight movement will continue to and from neighbouring countries.

Vehicle testing centres and driver's licence testing centres will be closed.

"Should your driver's licence expire during the duration of the lockdown, it shall be deemed to remain valid until the end of the lockdown, with the grace period of renewal within 14 working days thereafter unless otherwise determined," Mbalula said.

The lockdown will come into effect on Thursday at midnight until 16 April.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
31% - 9 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
69% - 20 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.05
-0.7%
Rand - Pound
23.98
-0.3%
Rand - Euro
20.55
-0.4%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.36
-0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.7%
Platinum
894.10
-0.3%
Palladium
996.00
-0.6%
Gold
2,193.32
-0.1%
Silver
24.41
-1.0%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
67,889
+0.3%
All Share
74,074
+0.2%
Resource 10
56,132
+0.9%
Industrial 25
103,554
+0.3%
Financial 15
16,492
-0.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE