School transport issues hashed out

Midrand Leaner Transport Association representative Brian Govender spoke about the importance of safety when transporting school children. “Scholar transport owners have to ensure that their drivers have valid driver’s licences and have the life skills needed to keep children safe while they are in their care.”

He added that a driver’s licence alone is not enough when choosing a driver. “Interview the person you want to employ as a scholar driver and get into a car with them to assess their driving skills.”

Govender also pointed out that drivers who play loud music in scholar transport are doing a disservice to the pupils they are transporting. When children get to school they are still hyper-active or disoriented from the loud sounds they were listening to during the drive.

Simon Masoeu, a member of the association’s executive committee said clients are problematic and make transport owners’ businesses run at a loss.

“Some parents do not pay transport owners for months and yet they expect their child to still be picked up for school,” he said. Masoeu stressed that scholar transport owners must make sure that they have contractual agreements with parents, binding them to make payments in time.

Given Cele, a member of the Learner Transport Association from the regional office said people operating without a permit give the association a bad name. “Any learner transport owner who refuses to be part of an association and has no permit or a licence is a shame to the business. All associations have a code of conduct that drivers and owners must follow.”

Metro police community outreach and social crime prevention officer Andrew Mogoera said scholar transport drivers are taking a risk on the roads. He said, “If you are getting a child out of the taxi make sure that the open door is not facing oncoming traffic as children may run out of the car.”

Officer Mogoera explained that Metro police work with school patrols but parents and scholar transport drivers often ignore safety instructions given by the patrollers. “I arrested a driver in Kaalfontein a week ago for ignoring a patroller and almost driving over a pupil. He also smelled of alcohol.”

Officer Mogoera said the fine for anyone who operates a scholar transport business without a permit or a driver’s licence is between R1 500 to R2 000. He explained that in some cases the perpetrator can be arrested without being issued a fine. He added that once a driver has been arrested, the vehicle will also be held by police and will not operate until the case has been heard in court.

“And please stop offering us bribes, if you bribe me I will arrest you,” he warned.