As we go for the long-awaited festive season break, we should also be thinking of how our children will be traveling to and from school safely in the new year. If you have not yet made plans in this regard, this is the time to do so because it will only be stressful for you to try and make last minute arrangements before schools open. This particularly applies to parents of learners who are starting at new schools next year, particularly those starting Grade One. In most instances one has other commitments especially work that coincide with school starting times. How then does one juggle getting a child to school while also ensuring that one arrives at work on time?
Arguably, the biggest challenge is that most employees do not have the luxury of working from home or flexi-time and must be at work before or by 08h00. The result is that as parents, we are forced to make travel arrangements for our children, some of which are not entirely safe simply because we do not have any option or think that we do not have one. While available data suggest that most schoolchildren in South Africa walk to school[1], it is still incumbent upon us to focus on the other modes of school travel besides walking. In this regard, special attention should be paid to those who use scholar transport, particularly the non-subsidised forms where parents simply make arrangements with an uncle or aunty who owns a car and lives in the same neighbourhood to transport children to and from school for a fee. Should parents make arrangements of this nature, it is imperative to bear in mind that the ultimate responsibility of getting children safely to and from school lies with the parent, not schools; not government and certainly not the scholar transport driver. In this regard, one should be familiar with Regulation 250 of the National Road Traffic Act (NRTA). I covered this Regulation in detail in an earlier blog (June 2017) but would like to revisit this issue in light of my recent interactions with parents and other stakeholders interested in school travel. To recap, according to Regulation 250;
- No person on a public road shall convey schoolchildren in the goods compartment of a vehicle for reward.
- No person shall convey any other person in the goods compartment of a motor vehicle for reward: provided the provisions of this subregulation shall not apply in respect of a vehicle which complies with the provisions of the NLTA.
What should inform the decision on safer scholar transport?
Among others, a parent should endevour to ask the following questions with regard to their scholar transporter, and be unapologetic about it; if I may add because this is about the safety of your child:
- Is vehicle type suitable to ferry school children (as stated above Regulation 250 of the NRTA stipulates that children cannot ride in the goods compartment of a bakkie as paying passengers).
- Is the vehicle that is going to transport children roadworthy
- Does vehicle have an operating license to ferry passengers for gain (one MUST have a valid operating Scholar Transport/Learner Conveyance permit before transporting children). This license is obtained upon the scholar transporter applying for this license from the relevant Provincial Transport Department
- Is driver licensed, particularly in terms of having a Professional Driving permit (PrDP) formerly known as PDP. The law clearly states that ‘To drive on a public road in South Africa transporting goods, dangerous goods or passengers for an income you must have a professional driving permit (PrDP)[2].
- How many children does the vehicle normally transport (overloading is a big challenge, bearing in mind that a vehicle can carry more children than than the number of specified adults for the same vehicle).
These are questions that a parent should not be embarrassed or afraid to ask. Based on the responses to these questions, one can then make an informed decision in terms of how the child travels to school and from school.
So, what are the alternatives if one cannot get safe scholar transport for their children?
In the absence of a safe scholar transport for your child, for schools that are not within reasonable walking or cycling distances one should seriously consider carpooling where possible with other parents of children at the same school or neighbouring schools. One doesn’t necessarily have to have a car to be part of carpooling group. Neither does one have to be available to do the school run because in a well-arranged and well-managed carpool those parents who are available take children to school as part of the carpool can do so on behalf of those who are unavailable. There are numerous advantages to carpooling which inter alia include:
- less travel costs per person
- less air pollution around school zones because of fewer cars
- less congestion at school drop-off/pick-up points (and fewer cars mean safer school zones)
With the increasing popularity of social media platforms members of a carpool can create chat groups e.g. WhatsApp groups to share schedule information on any changes in the schedule or unavailability of the parent on duty to take children to school.
For those schools that are within reasonable walking or cycling distance, other viable alternatives are to form walking school buses or cycle trains that are supervised by parent volunteers or other interested groups. Again social media platforms can be used to schedule such services. We are also available to provide assistance in this regard. The bottom line is that as parents, we absolutely have no excuse for not ensuring that our children travel safely to and from school. What is required is a commitment to ensure safer school travel. Let us strive to make the school commute safer in 2019 by us exploring all the options that are available. We owe this much to our children.
Notes
[1] The National Household Travel Survey (2013) found that 69% of schoolchildren walk all the way to school while the other 31% use various motorised modes of transport [train (1%), minibus taxi (13%), car/truck passenger (12%) and bus 5%. Statistics South Africa (Statssa) 2013: National Household Travel Survey 2013: Statistical release P0320. Available at http://beta2.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0320/P03202013.pdf
[2] https://www.gov.za/services/driving-licence/professional-driving-permit
