While local scholar transport drivers welcome the call from the Gauteng Traffic Police to exercise caution and make road safety a priority, they say it is not always possible.
Also read: Over 60 unroadworthy scholar transport vehicles discontinued
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Expressing their views, two scholar transport drivers from Mohlakeng, Tshidiso Ntsoelengoe and Oratile Mfelang argued that are allegedly forced to be non-compliant on the roads through circumstances out of their control and although overloading scholar transport vehicles are something they are not proud of, they said it ensures they stay in business and continue feeding their families.
“We totally advocate for safety scholar transport in every way but this is sometimes not always possible. We often, at times, have to overload our vehicles by at least three people, and do more loads in a day to ensure that we don’t break even. If we don’t do this, unfortunately we will not be making any profit and would have to cease our operations,” said Ntsoelengoe.
Mfelang shared the same sentiments and added that the business helps take care of his entire family but has its fair share of challenges.
“One of the problems we have in our operations is the increasing price of petrol. I normally spend R2 000 per week or more on petrol and that makes it R8 000 per month. If I was to load the adequate number of scholars as required by law, I wouldn’t even be able to cover the petrol with the amount I make. That would then mean that I am unable to sustain myself and as it stands, there aren’t even employment opportunities. This is what we have resorted to in order to keep busy, make a living and ensure that we take care of our families,” Mfelang said.
Ntsoelengoe and Mfelang further highlighted a string of concerns that they face as drivers of scholar transport vehicles.
These include the inability to secure new cars due to insufficient funds made, systems that are ‘seemingly offline’ most of the time at the Traffic Department, as well as vehicles constantly breaking down and needing maintenance.
These are but some of the challenges outlined, which the duo said makes their work a lot more challenging.
The Herald reported at the end of October and during Transport Month that a total of 61 unroadworthy scholar transport vehicles were discontinued during intensified operations in the far West. The vehicles included 45 minibuses, eight buses, four light motor vehicles and four light delivery vehicles.
Then, just recently, a scholar bus accident claimed the lives of three learners and left 63 injured in Carletonville. The learners were from Wedela Technical High School. The police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident.
Gauteng Traffic Police spokesperson Sello Maremane said the safety of learners utilising public transport is a priority.
“Despite various road safety measures in place, Gauteng roads continue to experience an increasing number of fatal crashes involving scholar transport operations. The safety of learners within the public transport system remains a priority to law enforcement agencies.
“The Gauteng Traffic Police will continue to intensify road safety strategies to ensure that learners are transported safely to and from their respective schools. This include mechanisms to ensure that overloading, unsafe overtaking, unroadworthy vehicles and excessive speeding are dealt with decisively on Gauteng roads,” said Maremane.
