As learners continue their return to school, scholar transport safety has once again made headlines in Durban, with law enforcement stepping up operations and cross‑country calls for zero tolerance on unsafe vehicles and reckless driving. Recent incidents locally and nationally have underscored just how vital it is for parents, operators and authorities to work together to protect children on their daily journeys.
This week, the Durban Metro Police Strike Team conducted targeted road safety enforcement operations along Malandela Road, the M25 and the R102, focusing on overloaded public transport vehicles. During the operation, officers discovered a scholar transporter carrying five learners in excess of its permitted capacity. Further inspection revealed that the vehicle’s suspension had been tampered with which is a serious safety concern. The vehicle was immediately suspended from operating on public roads in the interest of both learner and public safety.
Metro Police Spokesperson Colonel Boysie Zungu said, “The Durban Metro Police Service will continue with decisive enforcement to ensure compliance with traffic laws and to protect all road users.
The operation comes against a backdrop of troubling scholar transport incidents across the country. In Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, a crash involving a scholar transport vehicle claimed the lives of 14 children, prompting nation‑wide shock and renewed urgency around transport standards. Closer to home, learners were injured in Durban when their transport vehicle crashed into a tree, reigniting concern among parents and residents about the safety of scholar transport on our roads.
Transport authorities have responded with decisive action. Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy and her Deputy Mkhuleko Hlengwa expressed their deep shock at the Vanderbijlpark tragedy, and have since issued clear instructions to traffic law enforcement agencies — including the RTMC National Traffic Police — to intensify law enforcement operations with a specific focus on scholar transport throughout South Africa.
Creecy and Hlengwa have stressed that overloading, poor roadworthiness and speeding remain central factors in many scholar transport crashes, making these issues a critical focus of the 365‑Day Road Safety and Arrive Alive programmes. They highlighted that a lack of enforcement has in some areas brought the scholar transport service “to its knees”. Their message to scholar transport operators, taxi associations and bus companies is clear: get your act together or face the full might of the law.
Last week, the Ministry launched a Back to School campaign centered on scholar transport inspections. From this effort, authorities emphasised that government will adopt a zero tolerance approach to lawlessness and non‑compliance by private operators and drivers, including the impoundment of unroadworthy vehicles and the arrest of reckless learner transport drivers.
In addition, unannounced enforcement blitzes will be conducted at schools starting this week, with checks on permits, roadworthiness, loading and driver credentials. Transport authorities have also called on all spheres of government dealing with scholar transport to adhere to the recently reviewed National Road Safety Strategy, which underscores the importance of regular vehicle roadworthiness tests, consistent road safety education and training for operators, drivers and learners alike.
The strategy emphasises emergency exit procedures, the need for properly functioning safety equipment, and regular maintenance checks on all scholar transport vehicles — whether contracted by government or not.
Creecy and Hlengwa concluded by announcing that the Department is in the final stages of reviewing the National Learner Transport Policy to tackle crucial issues relating to safety and access to reliable scholar transportation. While the new policy will be presented to Cabinet for approval in due course, authorities are emphatic that unroadworthy vehicles have no place on learner routes. Operators and associations must obey the rules of the road and ensure vehicles are safe before they carry children.
Parents also have a role to play in keeping learners safe. Authorities urge parents and guardians to ask questions before entrusting children to any scholar transport service. This includes checking that the vehicle is roadworthy, that the driver holds a valid Professional Driving Permit, and that all safety requirements and learner transport policies are being followed.
Local community leaders have also called on SANTACO and other transport bodies to ensure consistent safety compliance and accountability from members, emphasising that learner safety must never be compromised for convenience or profit.
As enforcement ramps up and awareness grows, the shared message is clear: safe scholar transport is everyone’s responsibility — and no learner deserves to be put at risk on their way to school.
