The newly elected committee of the Springs Education Transport Association (SETA) is set to tackle issues they face in the scholar transport industry.
SETA continues to urge all transport drivers to comply with the National Land Transport Act by ensuring their vehicles are registered under a transport association.
The association raised concerns about missing permits, unroadworthy and overloaded cars, and overcrowding at school pick-up spots.
“We aim to work with law enforcers to ensure that transport vehicles that are not roadworthy are off the roads for the safety of the children,” said Jabulani Radebe, SETA chairperson.
“Public taxis are not supposed to fetch learners at schools.
“Their pick-up spots are public roads and taxi ranks unless they have a permit to do so, hence we have overcrowding at schools.
“There are too many vehicles fetching learners from schools,” Radebe said.
“When we patrol at schools we see transports with no licence discs and this is a major concern for the association.”
Radebe added transport operators that are not affiliated with SETA cause disruptions with transporting learners to schools.
“We find children waiting at street corners alone which according to the association, they need to be picked up from the home and dropped off at school.
“Had transport operators registered with SETA they would be aware of the rules that we are guided by.”
Radebe reiterated the National Land Transport Act 5 of 2009 (NLTA) which states that no person may operate a road-based transport service without an operating licence or permit issued for the vehicle concerned.
Busisiwe Shongwe, SETA deputy secretary, said parents also need to play their part in choosing the right transport operators by making sure that the operators they choose comply.
She added this ensures that their children are safe and they can keep track of the driver should anything happen.
“We are encouraging parents to ensure that transport operators are complying with the law,” said Shongwe.
Scholar transport operators can register their vehicles at SETA by visiting their office at the Bophelong Centre, building 56, office 211 (opposite Fair Price).
ALSO READ: Former addict makes difference in others’ lives
ALSO READ: Multilingualism in the spotlight at this year’s Indigenous Language Imbizo
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here.