JOHANNESBURG – Sixty vehicles impounded. Invalid permits, overloading and bad driver behaviour.
That is what the Department of Transport uncovered on Thursday during a blitz operation to assess scholar transport in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg.
The comprehensive assessment saw more than 60 vehicles being impounded.
The move comes after 14 pupils were killed in a scholar transport crash in Vanderbijlpark on Monday.
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Authorities have not yet confirmed the number of drivers arrested during the operation.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said they had found that drivers did not meet the necessary requirements to carry passengers.
“Some of these vehicles have been permitted in the past as scholar transport, but they’re not in a roadworthy condition.”
Creecy said it was deeply concerning that vehicles that ought not to be on the road were transporting children.
While the department has been focusing on the official scholar transport procured by the Department of Education, Creecy said the focus now would be on informal vehicles procured by parents.
“Our concern is that parents are procuring vehicles, and they don’t understand the regulations that govern the movement of scholar transport," the minister said.
Creecy said the department would also be introducing a regulation compelling those who transport children to have advanced driver training.
“It’s terribly important that drivers understand how to drive responsibly and defensibly when they are carrying people’s precious children.”
Creecy added that scholar transport must be clearly marked and each driver should have a certified copy of the contract.