Mamabolo concerned over bus firms not adhering to Covid-19 rules

Gauteng MEC for transport and road infrastructure Jacob Mamabolo has raised his concern with buses travelling long distances, saying were not adhering to Covid-19 safety regulations.

Speaking on 702, Mamabolo said his department had found many buses were unroadworthy and that some buses were overloaded .

“The situation in Gauteng with respect to the buses is greatly concerning. When we visited Bosman in the City of Tshwane and Park Station in Johannesburg, there were a few things of great concern.

“The bus operator or bus companies have shown complete disregard for commuter safety.

“We have clearly seen that the bus companies more than anything else seem to be happy with the money, we have not seen anything that indicates they value the life of their most important clients which is the travellers.”

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Meanwhile, more than 1800 vehicles with major defects have been removed from the roads since the beginning of December.

This is according to Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) spokesperson Simon Zwane.

An additional 1465 public transport vehicles have been impounded for operating contrary to their permits and overloading.

Some of the major defects identified in the vehicles included faulty brakes, dysfunctional steering racks, worn tyres and cracked windscreens. The owners of the vehicles have to fix the defects and subject the cars to roadworthy tests before operating them on public roads again.

Last year, vehicles’ roadworthiness was a factor in 7% of fatal crashes over the festive season, Zwane said.

Additional reporting by News24 Wire. 

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