At present there are 54 471 scholars that benefit from the formal Scholar Transport Programme (STP). In terms of this programme scholars are transported for free i.e. the department pays the full cost of the service.
These scholars are identified by the Department of Education through an application process at their respective schools. The names of the approved scholars are then captured onto a database and the department is in the process of preparing identity cards for these scholars so that the transport operators will know who were approved for scholar transport.
In addition to the formal scholar transport programme, a further approximately 33 000 scholars make use of other services subsidised by the department: 24 000 make use of Algoa Bus Company on a daily basis, 7 000 of AB350 and 2 000 of Mayibuye Transport Corporation. The department also distributed more than 12 000 bicycles to deserving scholars throughout the province. If all these are taken into consideration, the department is directly or indirectly assisting more than 99 000 scholars to get to school.
However, both the Department of Transport and the Department of Education are aware that the need for scholar transport is closer to 120 000, but the current budget allocation does not allow for the expansion of the programme. The Department of Transport is constantly liaising with the Department of Education and the Provincial Treasury to address these issues.
Some of the main objectives of the scholar transport programme include the elimination of fraud and corruption in the system by improving systems and procedures and through closer management of the project and by making use of legitimate public transport operators, which at the same time allows for the development of these small, individual operators.
Each school completes a weekly proof of delivery form to indicate that the allocated scholars were in fact transported. This proof of delivery is then used by the department's contractor, One Future Development 46, to generate an invoice which is submitted to the department.
The department pays the amount of the invoice to One Future Development 46, who in turn distributes the money to their individual members according to the actual services that they have rendered. The department is also working closely with One Future Development 46 to improve the distribution of the money to the individual operators.
Media contact:
Ncedo Kumbaca
Cell: 082 562 6023
