94% of scholar transport vehicles in Soweto fail safety inspections
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has described the levels of non-compliance by scholar transport operators in Soweto as unacceptable.
The department recently conducted mandatory scholar transport pre-test inspections at the Jabulani Testing Station in Soweto.
The inspections formed part of the department’s campaign, which focuses on scholar transport safety, following the deaths of 14 schoolchildren in a crash near Vanderbijlpark.
A total of 51 scholar transport vehicles were inspected over three days.
Of these, 48 failed the inspection, and 3 passed.
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Inspectors reported findings that included missing or expired licence discs, invalid or absent driver’s licences and Professional Driving Permits (PrDP), torn seats, non-functional seatbelts, cracked windscreens, smooth tyres, missing wheel nuts, worn shock absorbers, defective door handles and window mechanisms, worn windscreen wiper blades and loose wiring in engine compartments.
“These results are unacceptable,” said Gauteng MEC for Transport and Logistics Kedibone Diale-Tlabela.
“The fact that 94% of vehicles tested failed to meet basic roadworthiness requirements demonstrates the grave danger our children face daily. We will not allow this to continue.”
The department stated that scholar transport operators who fail to comply with safety and legal requirements may face vehicle impoundment, fines, and criminal prosecution, where applicable. Further inspections are planned across the province.
Scholar transport regulation has been an ongoing provincial and national policy issue since the introduction of stricter safety and licensing requirements for public passenger vehicles in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
