Transport Minister Ms. Dipuo Peters has met with MECs responsible for Roads, Transport and Community Safety to consider several matters within the Transport sphere. It also includes CEOs of Transport entities, provincial heads of departments and SALGA.
The meeting received briefings on the following issues:
· An update on the Scholar/Learner Transport policy
· Road Accident Benefit Scheme
· October Transport Month strategy and plan
· Regulation and Standardization of vehicle registration plates
Scholar Transport:
The meeting agreed that the National Department of Transport should go ahead and present the draft Scholar/Learner Transport Policy to cabinet. If/when cabinet approves, the Department will then approach Parliament to initiate the process of public consultation. The new policy would see the introduction of new regulations governing the transportation of school children. It would put emphasis on safety and vehicle specifications.
Road Accident Benefit Scheme:
An update on the introduction of the Road Accident Benefit Scheme was presented to the meeting. It was noted that the national Department of Transport will soon embark on public consultation processes to introduce the new Scheme to and receive inputs from members of the public and concerned stakeholders. The primary aims of RABS is to put in place a reasonable, equitable, affordable and sustainable system of road crash benefits. It would also see a departure from the fault based system to a no fault based system with regard to claims for vehicle crashes.
Transport Month:
The Department of Transport uses the month of October to highlight successes within the transport sector and take stock of challenges that lie ahead. The programme will see the Minister and Deputy Minister visiting various provinces and municipalities to interact with communities on matters related to Transport infrastructure and services.
Regulation and Standardisation:
The meeting was briefed about the introduction of the new vehicle registration plates. The meeting agreed on the need for uniformity and standardization across all provinces. The process would also address the issue of security to curb incidents of vehicle cloning. The need for local manufacturing of vehicle registration plates was emphasized.
