By JOHANNESBURG — As schools reopen for the fourth term, the Gauteng Department of Community Safety (GDCS) has issued an urgent call for public and learner transport operators to prioritize safety on the province’s roads.
With learners returning to classrooms, authorities are expecting a significant surge in traffic volumes during morning and afternoon peak hours, particularly along major transport corridors, residential neighbourhoods, and surrounding schools. The department stressed that operators bear a critical duty to ensure passengers and children reach their destinations securely.
Key Safety Demands for Operators
- Thorough Vehicle Checks: Operators of taxis, buses, and scholar transport are instructed to conduct proper pre-trip inspections to verify that vehicles are fully roadworthy.
- Valid Documentation: Drivers must possess the appropriate licenses and formal authorization to transport passengers.
- Strict Capacity Limits: Overcrowding is strictly prohibited; learner transport operators must never exceed authorized passenger limits, allow children to sit in dangerous positions, or compromise standards for extra space.
- Safe Drop-Offs: Drivers must exercise extreme caution during pick-up and drop-off windows to prevent exposing children to moving traffic.
Zero Tolerance for Reckless Driving
The GDCS reminded all motorists to strictly observe speed limits, avoid reckless behaviour, refrain from driving under the influence of substances, and keep off mobile phones while behind the wheel. Heightened vigilance is required around school zones, pedestrian crossings, and intersections.
Parents and guardians have also been urged to vet their choice of transport, utilizing only reputable, compliant operators and reporting any observed unsafe practices or overloading.
Collaborative Enforcement
Operating under the broader 365-Day road safety campaign, the department—alongside law enforcement stakeholders—will maintain active safety awareness and strict enforcement operations. Authorities emphasized that non-compliance and hazardous transit practices that endanger learners and other motorists will not be tolerated.
“Road safety is a shared responsibility,” the department stated, reiterating that no child or passenger should have to risk their life just to get to school or work.
