Scholar transport operators should not load passengers more than the required load limit of a car when transporting children to and from school, and parents should report irregularities to Santaco offices so that transgressors can face consequences.

This is according to Sifiso Shangase, KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson for the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco).

Shangase was speaking after one of the parents raised a concern that they did not know where to report scholar transport operators who are flouting rules and endangering the lives of children. 

The scholar transport is two-pronged: the government-subsidised and the private, operated by taxi associations and individuals.

Shangase said that the same complaints procedure used by the public to lodge complaints about taxi operators and taxi drivers should be used for scholar transport.

“The load limit is the same as that of normal taxis. If the taxi used as a scholar transport has a limit of 15 passengers, then the operator can not load more than 15 children; if that happens, they must be reported to Santaco.  

“Parents can go to any of the Santaco regional offices to lodge complaints, but when they get to the office, they must ask for a scholar transport representative. Contact numbers for scholar transport representatives are displayed on the notice board for all residents to access them,” Shangase said.

He added that the taxi council is in the process of democratising scholar transport, with the election of the new leadership structure set to take place in November, starting at the regional level. The private scholar transport structure is currently under Santaco.

Shangase stated that when it comes to Hlokomela (the safety unit), it has nine members; two of them are under the scholar transport structure and their role is to deal with matters of victimisation, and review the operational processes of scholar transport, working in cooperation with two other modes — the mainstream, which is taxis, and the meter taxis.

“Parents have made it clear that they don’t want old taxi vehicles, including Hi-Ace (Siyaya), which is now being phased out as scholar transport, and the Department of Transport has stated that these will no longer be allowed to obtain operating licences. They are still going to come back to us so that we can map a way forward, because we still have to go to operators and explain the government’s position,” he said.

“We are yet to communicate the message to the scholar transport operators about the government’s position following our meeting with them. Our request is that scholar transport operators be assisted through the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme (TRP), which offers a scrapping allowance for vehicles manufactured before September 4, 2006, to remove unsafe, unroadworthy taxis from public roads. The allowances would assist them to put down a deposit for newer cars required by the government, the Quantums,” Shangase said.

“Scholar transport operators also want to have a written contract with parents because some parents don’t pay on time, and they don’t want to pay the full amount. The contract will resemble that of school fees,” he said.

Zinhle Ndawonde, the mother of Mthobisi, who was one of the pupils who died in a scholar transport crash alongside four other children in September, said that many things are going wrong, and that operators also exchange loads without informing parents with whom they have agreements.

“My son, for example, met with a fatal crash while being ferried by a driver with who I never had an agreement. He was in that taxi because the operators exchanged loads along the way. Why would someone who I never entrusted with my child’s safety be transporting my child to school without my consent? Santaco’s scholar transport wing needs to explain to us what should or shouldn’t be done because parents’ hands are tied behind their backs in the face of unfair practices by scholar transport operators. Sometimes they load up to 40 children in one taxi,” Ndawonde said.

Shangase stated that the new framework will determine scholar transport’s method of operation, routes, and other matters, including the exchange of loads. He encouraged parents to play an active role in the safety of children.

Siboniso Duma, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, pledged to work with parents and school governing bodies, and urged parents to verify the condition of vehicles, the driver’s permit, and to avoid overloaded cars to guarantee the safety of children.

“I have mandated the acting head of the department to work with municipal managers to assemble teams of officials from the department, Department of Education, and municipalities to do an audit of private scholar transport in all municipalities under uMgungundlovu District. Unroadworthy cars involved in scholar transport must be removed from our roads to prevent the loss of innocent lives,” Duma said.

The KZN Department of Transport (DoT) has since partnered with the Vehicle Testing Association (VTA) to root out the issuing of fraudulent roadworthy certificates by testing vehicle stations from other provinces on KZN vehicles. The MEC stated that these certificates are issued without KZN vehicles being physically tested in those testing stations.  

The priorities of the VTA/ KZN DoT collaboration are to strengthen legislation governing the taxi and scholar transport industry, with clear provisions on driver vetting, vehicle standards, and operational oversight.

It also includes enforcing stricter compliance and accountability measures across the province, supported by transparent reporting and independent audits. It will require biannual Certificates of Roadworthiness (COF) for all heavy passenger vehicles, replacing the current annual requirement, while ensuring that all minibusses are inspected within the KZN province, at accredited municipal or private testing, and in alignment with their designated route permits.

The national DoT stated that it is reviewing the National Road Safety Strategy to deal with all areas pertaining to road safety, including the strengthening of law enforcement in the public transport system and scholar transport operations. 

“Contracted operators are required to comply with the National Land Transport Act, No. 05 of 2009, with regard to the issuance of operating licences and the National Road Traffic Act about the issuance of Professional Driver’s Permit, which provides for the vetting of drivers, which is mandatory for compliance by contracted operators and drivers. 

“Scholar transport vehicles are required to undergo roadworthy testing annually, and drivers are required to have a Professional Driving Permit (PrDP). We are working with associations such as SANTACO and National Taxi Alliance (NTA) to ensure that scholar transport operators who are members of their association adhere to the regulations,” the Department stated.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation’s national traffic anti-corruption unit is investigating alleged corruption at the driver and vehicle licensing centres and vehicle testing stations. The unit currently has more than 200 cases under investigation, the department said.

Simon Zwane, spokesperson for the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), said they, together with provincial authorities, conduct road safety education in schools throughout the year, and law enforcement authorities monitor scholar transport to ensure compliance with regulations.

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gcwalisile.khanyile@inl.co.za

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