Scholar drivers in Pretoria expect govt to inspect vehicles for roadworthiness

Scholar transport drivers in Pretoria have criticised government for issuing permits to drivers without inspecting their vehicles for road worthiness.

On Thursday, several associations attended a road safety and compliance workshop hosted by the Gauteng Traffic Department.

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During the session, Pretoria West Learner Transport Association chairperson Thato Senona noted that the Transport Department places the burden of ensuring that vehicles are roadworthy on owners.

The complaint stems from continued operations leading to the impoundment of scholar transports for not being roadworthy.

Senona said that this is unfair because the officials should be the ones to educate the drivers on what conditions the cars should be to get on the road.

“When the permits are released, they don’t request to see the car physically, so how are they going to guarantee that the permit they [are] issuing out is for a car that’s road worthy?”

Gauteng Traffic spokesperson Sello Maremane said the drivers should, almost every six months, go to the department to conduct these checks, preferably during school holidays.

“We are saying to them during that period [of] December time, they can come to us so that we can test these vehicles for roadworthiness.”