NORTH WEST — North West scholar transport operators are facing severe financial and operational penalties after more than 500 providers failed to present their vehicles for a mandatory provincial safety inspection. The Department of Community Safety and Transport has made it clear that the era of leniency is over, threatening to pull non-compliant buses off the roads and ultimately terminate their contracts.
The aggressive enforcement strategy stems directly from a January report by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). The watchdog revealed an alarming reality regarding learner transit, warning that children’s lives were in imminent danger. Investigators documented widespread safety violations, including severely unroadworthy vehicles, dangerous overcrowding, shattered windows, and buses lacking valid operating permits or license discs.
To address these systemic failures, the department organized a second annual vehicle inspection. However, the turnout highlighted a massive compliance gap. While the province relies on a fleet of over 900 contracted buses to transport students daily, a mere 431 vehicles were submitted for the mandatory checks.
A department spokesperson expressed profound disappointment over the dismal turnout, emphasizing that vehicle roadworthiness is a non-negotiable clause within the operators’ service level agreements. The spokesperson noted that ensuring seamless and safe service delivery is the primary objective of the provincial transit network.
“The time for explaining is over,” the spokesperson stated, confirming that punitive measures are now in motion. “We will take the necessary interventions, and whatever the contract allows us to do, we will fully do.”
The department has already issued formal letters detailing the exact consequences of non-adherence. While the spokesperson clarified that contract cancellation is considered a last resort, it remains a definitive option if operators continue to violate safety standards.
Despite the strict mandates, some operators argue that systemic payment delays are crippling their ability to comply. Lerato Mahlakoleng, a local operator who successfully passed the compliance testing for her two buses last Thursday, pointed to financial hurdles as the primary reason for the low turnout.
Mahlakoleng explained that the compliance process itself went smoothly for those who could attend. However, she noted that many of her colleagues simply could not afford the logistical costs of participation.
“Most of our members could not take their buses there because they could not afford it,” she explained.
She highlighted that many operators are based up to 70 kilometers outside of town. Due to chronic non-payment, these operators lack the funds to buy diesel for the long round trip to the testing sites. This financial barrier kept many away from the beginning of the inspection period until last Friday.
Moving forward, the department is shifting from administrative warnings to active road enforcement. Traffic officers have been deployed across the province to patrol the roads, specifically targeting and intercepting any scholar transport vehicles that failed to undergo the mandatory inspection or are operating without the required roadworthy certifications.
