Pretoria - The Gauteng Department of Roads and Logistics has embarked on a no-nonsense campaign of ‘stop, search and fine’ scholar transport vehicles, in a bid to increase pupils’ safety and save lives.
MEC for Transport and Logistics, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, and law enforcement officials impounded five buses and called on parents to pay attention to the persons and vehicles that take their children to school.
Every year videos of reckless learner transport drivers circulate on social media, showing some drivers recklessly overloading their vehicles to maximise their earnings by loading beyond capacity.
This has led to moves by parents, guardians and educators, to be fully aware of the safety of their children, and to ensure that drivers are licenced, registered, and their vehicles are road worthy.
As part of the back to school campaign, Diale-Tlabela joined forces with law enforcement authorities to stop learner vehicles and check that everything was up to par and compliant.
"We have seen a lot of children dying because of accidents caused by scholar transport. This is part of us defending our children because they cannot speak for themselves.
"I know the taxi industry is not happy with what we do but there is nothing we can do (about this). We must make sure that public transportation is compliant on our roads. Those elements who do not follow the rules of the road need to do so. That is why we impound vehicles."
Diale said their contribution to this campaign was the continuation of the road safety campaign launched in November last year.
“We are doing stop and search on learner transport.
"There are three kinds of learner transport - there is private learner transport whose drivers are supposed to be licensed accordingly as per the road rules of the government; we are also looking at those who are contracted to the Department of Education in Gauteng as scholar transport; and thirdly there are those who are contracted to the local government," said added.
The campaign has been welcomed by parents, some of who commented on social media that their children's safety could not be left to chance. Too many children, they noted, had been killed in school transport accidents leaving many families heartbroken.
Pretoria News