Parents, check if your child’s school transport has a valid public transport operating permit
According to the National Land Transport Act (Act 5 of 2009) no person may operate a road-based public transport service, unless he or she is the holder of an operating licence issued for the vehicle concerned with the act.
POLOKWANE – “Most municipalities do not have updated comprehensive integrated transport plans which is why the Department of Transport will soon commence with a full-scale audit on the supply and demand of public transportation services in the province, in order to guide the way forward in terms of the issuing of new route-based operating licences,” Matome Moremi, spokesperson for the Department of Transport, explained.
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He added there is currently a lack of reliable statistical information between the number of legal operators registered and those associations recruited and allowed to operate without valid operating licences.
As a result, the department does not have a reliable quantification of the supply of public transport operations. The only way to achieve this is to have comprehensive integrated transport plans in municipalities which will provide the actual number of vehicles operating, legally and illegally.
Based on this, the Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE) can determine whether there is still a need and space for new public transport operations.
Moremi advised parents who rely on public transport for their children’s travelling to school and back home to ensure the transporter they choose has a valid public transport operating permit as this guarantees the safety of their children. “It is important to note that applicants for operating licenses should not buy vehicles before their applications are approved by the PRE and a grant letter has been issued to the applicant as there is a possibility that the application may not be granted by the PRE,” he added.
Applications for all categories of operating licences must meet these requirements:
• Certified RSA ID.
• Certified passport.
• Certified temporary RSA ID.
• Certified foreign ID.
• Certified partnership agreement.
• Certified board resolution or founding agreement.
As well as:
• Valid tax clearance certificate.
• Signed agreement between the parents and the applicant.
• Route description and time-table for the intended service.
• Payment of a prescribed fee of R300.
The application will be captured by the department and be advertised in the Government Gazette for a period of 21 days for public comment and thereafter enrolled for adjudication by the PRE. Thereafter the decision of the PRE will be communicated to the applicant within 21 days after the PRE hearing.
In light of this, BONUS spoke to parents in the city about their views regarding the full-scale audit on the supply and demand of public transportation services in the province.Lethabo Malebati, a mother of one from Flora Park, said: “I feel confident the audit will make it easier for us as parents to select safe transport to take our children to school and back as many transport services currently available to us are operating on a illegal basis.”
Another parent from Seshego, Thabo Molotshwane, shared similar views. “We put our trust in these transport services, believing our children are safe on their way to school and back. This audit will be an eye opener to us parents when it comes to selecting a safer mode of transportation for our children,” Molotshwane said.
