JUST IN: New law for transporting schoolchildren

On Friday, 11 November, the Minister of Transport implemented amendments to the National Road Traffic Regulations which must be noted by residents, in particular those who operate a transport vehicle.

Justice Project South Africa (JPSA) released a statement in which Howard Dembovsky brings an amendment of Regulation 250 of the National Road Traffic Regulations to the attention of the public. He states that Government Gazette 40420 of 11 November 2016 has amended Regulation 250, which previously forbade the conveyance of persons for reward in the goods compartments of bakkies, in its entirety, to read as follows:

• No person shall, on a public road, transport schoolchildren in the goods compartment of a motor vehicle for reward.

• No person shall transport any other person in the goods compartment of a motor vehicle for reward, provided that the provisions of this sub-regulation shall not apply in respect of a vehicle which complies with the provisions of the National Land Transport Act, 2009.

Howard Dembovsky explained the amendments as follows: “Simply put, these amendments mean that transport operators who successfully acquire a public transportation permit in terms of the National Land Transport Act 5 of 2009 may convey adult persons in the goods compartment of bakkies and other vehicles for reward (i.e. payment), but under no circumstances is anyone permitted to carry schoolchildren in the goods compartment of any vehicle for payment.”

Dembovsky says that it is not clear how schoolchildren will be accommodated in rural areas with poor quality roads, which are in accessible to buses, minibuses and the like.

The provisions of Regulation 250 will come into effect from 12 May 2017.

Also Read

Taxi driver abandons children in taxi