The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport says scholar transport pre-test inspections have revealed alarming non-compliance by operators, with 94% of vehicles failing the test.
The department conducted the mandatory inspections from Wednesday to Friday last week, and the results were shocking.
Scholar transport inspections
The department said the inspections were part of its ongoing campaign to improve scholar transport safety and enforce compliance with road traffic regulations.
It comes after 14 children tragically died in a head-on crash with a truck on the R553 Golden Highway in Vanderbijlpark two weeks ago.
The 22-year-old scholar transport driver arrested in connection with the deaths of the children in the horror accident has abandoned his bid for bail.
ALSO READ: Lack of law enforcement has brought ‘scholar transport service to its knees’, Creecy says
Horror picture
MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela spokesperson Lesiba Mpya said a total of 51 scholar transport vehicles were inspected over the three-day period.
The results were deeply concerning: 48 vehicles failed the inspection, and only three passed.
Mpya said inspectors uncovered widespread non-compliance and serious safety defects, including:
- Operators and drivers without valid driver’s licences or Professional Driving Permits (PrDP), or none at all;
- Expired or missing licence discs;
- Torn seats concealed with blankets;
- Non-functional seatbelts;
- Cracked windscreens;
- Smooth tyres with tread depth below 1mm and missing wheel nuts;
- Worn-out shock absorbers;
- Defective door handles and window openers;
- Filthy engine compartments with loose wiring;
- Worn or loose windscreen wiper blades.
‘Unacceptable’
Diale-Tlabela expressed serious concern over the findings.
“These results are unacceptable. 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 has warned that scholar transport operators who fail to comply with legal and safety requirements will face the full force of the law, including vehicle impoundment, fines and criminal prosecution where applicable.
More inspections
It said further inspections will be rolled out across the province to safeguard school pupils and restore discipline in the scholar transport sector.
Parents and community members are urged to report unsafe scholar transport vehicles to the Gauteng Traffic Inspectorate on 0800 428 8364.
ALSO READ: Nine schoolchildren injured in Durban scholar transport crash
