Following learner-related road fatalities and service disruptions, Gauteng Roads and Transport has issued a stern warning to scholar transport operators: comply with licensing regulations or face enforcement.
Over 1 000 application forms were handed out, along with clear guidance, as the department moves to protect learners and ensure lawful operations.
On Monday, January 26, more than 500 operators gathered at the department’s Johannesburg headquarters to raise concerns over delays and obstacles in obtaining operating licences. The meeting highlighted the urgent need to resolve long-standing licensing issues that have prevented many operators from formalising and sustaining their services.
Addressing the operators, MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela acknowledged the legitimacy of their concerns but stressed that compliance is non-negotiable.
“The Department is willing to work with scholar transport operators who genuinely want to regularise their operations. However, compliance with the law is not optional. Scholar transport is a safety-critical service, and the safety and dignity of our learners remain non-negotiable,” she said.
Diale-Tlabela also warned against disruptions and shutdowns by non-compliant operators.
“As a provincial government, we will not condone disruptions, shutdowns, or intimidation aimed at forcing the department to overlook issues related to non-compliance.
''In many cases, resistance to compliance arises because vehicles or documentation do not meet the required standards. The law will be enforced without fear or favour. If you cannot meet the minimum legal requirements to transport learners safely, you have no business operating in this space. Our learners’ lives are not negotiable,” she added.
Spokesperson Lesiba Mpya added that enforcement operations will continue intensifying across the province to ensure compliance and safeguard learners and other road users.
He urged all operators to act responsibly, cooperate with the department, and take immediate steps to regularise their operations.
Under the National Land Transport Act 5 of 2009 (sections 54 and 62), every public transport operator is legally required to hold a valid operating licence to carry passengers for a fee.
Required documentation for Scholar Transport Operating Licence applications includes:
Applications must be submitted in person at the following TOLAB offices during working hours:
A R600 fee applies per application. Guardians, parents, and community members are urged to report reckless driving or unsafe scholar transport vehicles to the Gauteng Traffic Inspectorate on 0800 428 8364.
The Star