Bus and Minibus Taxi Impounded at Rawsonville Roadblock

A bus and a minibus taxi were impounded during a joint learner transport and roadblock blitz on the R43 between Rawsonville and Worcester on 4 November 2015.

Provincial traffic officers stopped 45 vehicles, including seven learner transport vehicles. This was one of the many such operations conducted by the Department of Transport and Public Works every day across the Western Cape.

Operators transporting learners are required to comply with the provisions of the National Land Transport Act. Their vehicles must be roadworthy and they must have all the necessary permits to transport learners. Provincial traffic inspectors focused on ensuring compliance with legal requirements that enable learners travel safely to and from school, and checked that drivers had the necessary authorisation to transport learners.

Both the bus and minibus taxi were suspended and transported to the Ndabeni Impoundment Facility. The bus had a defective parking brake and service brake, and it was operating without a valid operating licence.

The bus driver was issued with a total of R5 200 in fines.

The minibus was operating without a licence permit and did not have a valid operating licence. The driver received fines totalling R3 500.

A light delivery vehicle was fined R800 for a defective parking brake and faulty reverse lamps. Minor defects were found on some other vehicles, and owners were required to rectify these immediately at the Breede Valley traffic centre in Worcester.

This operation highlighted some of the serious threats to the safety of children travelling to and from school every day. It is the responsibility of owners of learner transport vehicles to ensure that these are roadworthy and appropriate for the transportation of scholars. All operators must be in possession of the necessary documentation/ authority in order to carry out this function.

We call on parents and caregivers to join hands with us in our efforts to protect school children. This includes taking every practical step to ensure that private operators transporting their children always use safe, roadworthy and reliable vehicles, and that drivers have legal authorisation to transport learners.

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