Covid-19 regulations putting strain on scholar transport – associations
Scholar transport associations across the country have raised their concerns about the safety of pupils ahead of June 1 when schools open their gates.
Earlier this week, Basic Education Minister Angie Mosthekga announced that schooling will resume on June 1 as government eases the Covid-19 lockdown.
But the decision to resume the academic year has drawn criticism from several quarters.
Spokesperson for the Midrand Learner Transport Association, Brian Govender says the coronavirus regulations will put a lot of strain on the industry.
“When we recruit drivers, we make sure they have the relevant skills but we didn’t know anything about social distancing. We only know it now.
“We are cautioning our transporters and speaking our drivers and telling them that they have got to keep constantly monitoring in their drive, seeing that these kids are adhering to the lockdown rules in terms of the lockdown roles. The scholar transport is going to have to play an extra, extra role,” says Govender.
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He admits that the industry will need to adapt.
“Scholar transporters are going to be moving with 50% of the capacity and that’s really going to put a damper on the industry right now.”
Govender says the national lockdown and stringent government regulations have put most drivers in a tight spot, calling on government to come to the table.
“For now, we are going to put price hikes on hold, we are not going to increase as yet, and we are going to see how we can recover. It has been put on hold by all nine provinces.
“We’ve been trying for such a long time now to get government involved, to get the Department of Transport involved as well but we have failed.”
He adds: “If government can find it within themselves to send some form of relief to scholar transporters then it would be a good thing for us as well.”
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