Members of the Gauteng Education Transport Services
Head of Department and officials
Thank you for agreeing to meet in this consultative forum this late in the term. By doing so we actually heeded the words of former President Mandela that “the time is always ripe to do right”. However, we in the Department know that the future comes one day at a time and we consider this meeting as the strengthening of a strong relationship we have had over the years and that we endure in years to come.
The function of transporting our children is important. You have been doing this over the years, despite regulatory uncertainly. The long awaited national policy is still outstanding. As a result a lot of important decisions are outstanding. For example, where does the function lay in the province; is it Department of Transport or Education; adequacy of funding; quality and reliability of service. The Gauteng Department of Education currently is responsible for the function in terms of bus transport and it offers a subsidy to scholar contract operators.
The draft National Scholar Transport Policy aims to set basic standards and vehicle specifications, which the Department will have to enforce once the policy is finalized. Perhaps in support of the Department of Education, the Department should strengthen its regulatory and inspection functions by providing licenses, registration and monitoring, and ensuring safety of vehicles. As part of the future we should have a good registration and regulatory system and curb illegal scholar transport operations. Only properly licensed operators should operate.
Some of the scholar transport operators seem to have no regard for the precious cargo they ferry every day. Reports of scholar vehicles being involved in accidents are of concern to the government and the public at large. The roadworthiness of some of the vehicles leaves much to be desired. These things should change.
The Department’s 25-Year Integrated Transport Master Plan clearly states that scholar transport is a part of a multi-modal public transport system. Some of the interventions identified are the restructuring and establishment of a dedicated scholar transport system; strengthening of the Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE); maintaining the integrity of the regulatory regime; and building a public transport inspection system. Although policy certainty is required, these interventions cannot wait for the promulgation of policy. It is important that we do what we can now to ensure that learners in the province are transported safely.
The Department will continue to regulate through licensing to ensure that only legal operators operate scholar transport. This coupled with inspection should root out illegal and dangerous operators. Properly licensed operators should be registered with responsible directorates with the Department and the Department of Education so that we ensure that contracts are awarded to properly licensed and registered operators. With assistance from the Department of Community Safety we will enforce the license conditions and inspect vehicles for roadworthiness.
The Department should put in an adequate institutional capacity to regulate, inspect, monitor and manage dedicated services. Whether that will be done internally or in collaboration with the Department of Education will be dependent on the outcome of the policy choice the national Department of Transport will announce.
As part of the Department’s interventions in the Integrated Transport Master Plan (ITMP25) we will be promoting non-motorised transport. This will require the Department to provide adequate non-motorised transport facilities around schools so that those learners who are able to walk or cycle to school should be able to do so safely. This also means that we must provide adequate and safe parking facilities or drop-off and pick-up points around schools so that learners who use your services are also safe.
We appreciate the contribution by GETS in ensuring that operators are united and properly represented. Organisational fragmentation serves no purpose and weakens the sector. This kind of association assists in popularizing common standards and compliance. As the Department that aims to strengthen its compliance ability, we will appreciate more from your leadership in reining in unscrupulous operators.
Finally, we look forward to a strengthened relationship and close partnership with GETS. May your organization be strengthened and continue to contribute to the growth and development of public transport in Gauteng.
