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Transport, the heartbeat o South A ricas economic growth and social development 7

FInal dRaFt natIonal scHolaR tRansPoRt PolIcY

executIve summaRY

The provision o transport has remained one o the key challenges con ronting government in the post-apartheid era. This is largely as a result o the apartheid practices that ensured that the majority o the society was placed in areaswhich were largely inaccessible. But it is also because o the complexity o current transport needs resulting rom in-creased economic activity. The a orementioned issues pose very speci c challenges to the transportation o scholarsto and rom schools.

Various studies such as the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), the Nelson Mandela Foundations study on RuralSchooling and the Review o the Financing, Resourcing and Costs o Education in Public Schools have highlighted thedi culties that scholars are acing. The studies suggest that the ability o scholars to access education is hampered bythe long distances involved, threats to sa ety, as well as the cost o scholar transport. Scholars have di culty accessingeducational institutions because o the unavailability o scholar transport.

The absence o a national policy on scholar transport has resulted in ragmented provision o scholar transport ser-vices administered by the Provincial Departments o Education and Transport. Consequently, the amount o undingmade available or scholar transport varies and is o ten insu cient to meet the existing need. The operationalisationand management o scholar transport has also taken di erent orms in the various provinces.

In order to address the problems mentioned above, the Department o Transport (DOT) through its constitutionalmandate to develop and implement national transport policy initiated a process to develop this national scholartransport policy.

The policy provides a single ramework and an enabling environment or government and other stakeholders to ad-dress scholar transport challenges. It also outlines the implementation ramework or scholar transport policy whichwill assist government and relevant stakeholders to e ectively render an improved scholar transport service through-out the country.

The primary objectives o this national scholar transport policy are to provide national uni orm norms and standards,promote co-ordination and co-operation amongst stakeholders, and provide a ramework or monitoring and evalu-ation o scholar transport services.

Scholar transport will be provided on the basis o a number o principles, including that scholar transport must be a -

ordable, sa e and secure. The target group o the policy is scholars who attend schooling between Grade R to 12 andlive more than 3km rom the nearest school.

The scholar transport policy articulates the various responsibilities o all stakeholders involved in the provision o scholar transport in order to ensure that scholar transport provision is rendered in an appropriate and co-ordinatedmanner. The DOT is the custodian o this policy and is responsible or, inter alia, the regulation, unding, communica-tion, monitoring and evaluation o overall national scholar transport policy. The Department is also responsible orthe review o this national scholar transport policy in consultation with Provincial Departments o Transport (PDOTs)and other relevant stakeholders.

PDOTs are responsible or managing the implementation o scholar transport provision in their respective provinces,planning (in consultation with key transport stakeholders), identi ying bene ciaries (a ter consultation with Provin-

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The Department o Transport8

cial Departments o Education), contracting o services, tendering or contracts, law en orcement and ensuring roadsa ety (together with Local Government), and monitoring services.

In terms o planning, the policy recommends that scholar transport plans must be developed and integrated into theProvincial Land Transport Framework (PLTF), as well as into the Integrated Transport Plans (ITPs) o Local Governmentthrough an eight stage planning cycle.

The policy also prescribes the institutional arrangements, governance, regulatory and legislative aspects o schol-ar transport. The sa ety and service quality issues that con orm to international best practice are addressed in thisscholar transport policy. The policy also provide guidelines or developmental programmes or Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) and Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in order to bring the previouslymarginalised groups into the ormalised transport sector and economic mainstream.

The policy prescribes the transitional mechanisms or the migration o the scholar transport unction to the DOT.Further, it recommends that scholar transport provision should be managed by dedicated units at both national andprovincial levels o government.

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section 1

9

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section 1

1.1 IntRoductIon

South A rica lacks an integrated approach to the transportation o scholars. This is largely because there is an absenceo a policy to address the transportation o scholars. The lack o a co-coordinated approach has not only given rise toa food o illegal operators, but has also led to unnecessary atalities which might have been prevented.

The provision o scholar transport ensures that scholars are able to reach their educational institutions under healthyand sa e conditions, which enables an e ective learning environment. Many scholars have been excluded rom at-tending schools through a lack o transport and have thereby been prevented rom receiving education. The problemsexperienced with transport are mani old and range rom displaced communities to high cost o transport services. Itis the constitutional mandate o the Department o Transport (DOT) to develop a national scholar transport policy.

Scholar transport assistance in South A rica came about as a response o provincial Departments o Transport andEducation to the problems o the long distances that scholars, especially those residing in remote and rural areas, hadto travel to get to the nearest suitable public school. This was largely seen as a temporary arrangement or ensuringaccess to schooling, while engaging in the longer-term process o building schools. A number o studies have alludedto the plight o scholars in relation to distances they have to travel to access schools.

The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), conducted by the DOT, reported that in South A rica 76 per cent o scholars walk to their place o education and almost three million scholars spend more than one hour a day walkingto and rom their schools.

Another example is a study conducted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation in 2005. The study revealed that or somescholars who walk to school, especially in the rural areas, distances are so long that they o ten arrive at school late andtired, and are there ore unable to concentrate ully on the teaching and learning activities. Some o the roads are notsa e or a variety o reasons. Even where public transport is available, the cost o transport is too high or some parentsto a ord, resulting in their children dropping out o the school system.

To address the issue, provincial education departments began to provide scholar transport assistance. In the absenceo a national policy ramework, there was no uni orm way o managing and operating scholar transport. In some prov-inces, Provincial Departments o Education (PDEs) collaborated with Provincial Departments o Transport (PDOTs) in

this endeavour. Other provinces have made arrangements or scholar transport provision to be trans erred rom theDepartments o Education to Departments o Transport.

It is against this background that the DOT has decided to develop a national scholar transport policy that will set outuni orm national norms and standards or the implementation o scholar transport provision in all nine provinces.

1.2. cuRRent status oF scHolaR tRansPoRt and context

An assessment o the current status o scholar transport was done with the primary purpose o understanding the

transport issues and challenges con ronting scholars. The NHTS o the DOT was used to obtain critical in ormationon scholar transport. The NHTS serves as an inventory and an authoritative source o national transport data, which

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provides important in ormation or government and other stakeholders to understand travel behaviour and needs.Scholar transport was one o the key transport sectors that the NHTS ocused on in order to determine the extento accessibility to opportunities such as educational acilities.

The ollowing are some o the relevant ndings o the NHTS: In the country as a whole, nearly 13,5 million scholars attend primary and secondary schools, while a further 1,5

million attend pre-schools. Nearly hal reside in rural areas, with the rest airly equally divided between metro-politan municipalities and district municipality areas.

The vast majority of scholars (76% or about 11,4 million) usually walk to school. While almost all scholars walk toschool in the rural areas and more than 70 percent walk to school in urban areas, little more than hal o thosein metropolitan areas walk to school.

Car travel and taxis (minibus-taxis, light delivery vehicles or sedan taxis) are the modes of transport most fre-quently used by those who do not walk to school.

A third of the scholars in metropolitan areas travel by either car or taxi, while a fth of those in other urban areasalso use these modes. Buses have some patronage in metropolitan and other urban areas, but trains are veryseldom used. Other orms o transport (bicycles, motorcycles, metered taxis, trucks, tractor-trailers or animaltransport) are also rarely used.

For the majority of scholars (70% or about 10,5 million) the total door-to-door travel time to reach their destina-tion is 30 minutes or less. However, seven per cent or more than 1,1 million scholars take longer than an hourto reach their place o education.

The provinces with a high proportion of scholars travelling for longer than 30 minutes are KwaZulu-Natal and,to a lesser extent, the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and North West Province.

Some 25 percent of primary scholars who walk to school (1,7 million) walk for longer than 30 minutes in onedirection. Considering all children who walk to school, there are 560 000 who spend more than two hours perday walking to and rom school

In the country as a whole, only about 13 percent of all the trips to schools are made by public transport. Themonthly costs or these trips vary considerably, ranging rom zero ( or trips by school buses) to more than R200per month. For the largest group o scholars the cost is between R101 and R200 per month.

Gauteng has the highest incidence of public transport usage for educational purposes, by far the largest num-ber o people travelling or this purpose, and also the highest percentage paying R200 or more per month toreach their destinations.

Limpopo has the lowest proportion of trips by public transport, but also the lowest monthly cost, the majoritypaying less than R100 per month or their trips to educational centres.

The highest proportion of public transport trips to schools is made by taxi, despite the fact that taxis are themost expensive means o travel o the three public transport modes, with a relatively high number o taxi users

paying more than R200 per month or their travel. The cheapest mode, the train, which costs less than R100 per month for the majority of train users, accounts for

only one percent o public transport trips and attracts ar ewer scholars. It is evident that cost alone does not determine patronage of public transport by scholars, but that other fac-

tors, such as availability, accessibility, travel time, sa ety, security and com ort certainly play a role in their choiceo mode.

From the above, it can be seen that distances to schools and back, unsa e roads, security and the cost o transport,are amongst the actors that serve as barriers to scholars accessing schools. This is the case especially or thosescholars residing in rural areas. There is an urgent need, there ore, or the DOT to respond to these challenges ac-

ing scholars.

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1.3 legIslatIve context

The Constitution o the Republic o South A rica, 1996 Section 85(2)(b) mandates the DOT with the role o developingand implementing transport policy. This mandate places a huge responsibility on the Departments role to ensurethat transport policy development addresses the mobility needs o all citizens. It is in this regard that the Departmenthas developed the rst overarching scholar transport policy or the country. This scholar transport policy is guided bythe White Paper on National Transport Policy (1996), the National Land Transport Transition Act, Act 22 o 2000, theNational Land Transport Strategic Framework, the Public Transport Strategy and Action Plan (2007) and other legisla-

tion such as the National Road Tra c Act, Act 93 o 1996.

1.4 PolIcY context

The development o a scholar transport policy occurs within the national transport policy context. The 1996 National Transport White Paper puts orward the vision or the South A rican transport system as to:

Provide sa e, reliable, e ective, efcient and ully integrated transport operations and in rastructure which will best meet the needs o reight and passenger customers at improving levels o service and cost in a ashion which supports govern-

ment strategies or economic and social development whilst being environmentally and economically sustainable.

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It sets out as one o its objectives to ensure that passenger transport services address user needs, including thoseo commuters, pensioners, the aged, scholars , the disabled, tourists and long distance passengers (Ministry o Trans-port, 1996). Scholars are identi ed speci cally as one o the special needs categories in the provision o transport.

The White Paper stipulates urther objectives including improving accessibility and mobility; providing appropriateand a ordable public transport; and providing readily accessible in ormation to transport users.

Moving South A rica The Action Agenda is a 20-year strategic ramework developed by the DOT in 1998/99 to de-liver on the long-term vision set or the transport system in South A rica. The Action Agenda shi ts the ocus to thecustomer and to the concept o a di erentiated customer with a diverse range o needs. It prioritised the poor andvery poor rural and urban passengers, or more particularly the stranded customers and the survival customers inthe short- to medium-term.

In 2000, the National Land Transport Transition Act (NLTTA), Act 22 o 2000, was promulgated. Section 1(1)(Lxxiii) o theNLTTA re ers to scholars as a special category o passengers alongside others, including persons with disabilities, tour-ists, trans erring long-distance passengers, the aged, pregnant women and those who are limited in their movementsby children with or without pushchairs or prams. In terms of Section 44 of the Act, the conveyance of scholars, students,teachers or lecturers to and rom educational institutions on a daily basis, is regarded as a public transport service.

The NLTTA goes urther to set out the parameters or transport planning. It requires that strategies or needs o schol-ars be contained in the public transport plans to be prepared by the relevant planning authorities (Section 26(2)(b)(i)) and that a general strategy or the needs o scholars be incorporated in the Provincial Land Transport Framework (Section 22(3)(h)). It urther requires that the needs o special categories o passengers be taken into consideration inthe planning and provision o public transport in rastructure, acilities and services.

According to the Act, the needs o these special categories should be met as ar as possible by the system providedfor mainstream public transport (Section 4(1)(k)).

The Act gives the Member o the Executive Committee (MEC) the responsibility o co-ordinating the planning processo all planning authorities under the jurisdiction o the province and ensures that all plans address the needs o spe-cial categories o passengers (Section 18(6)(d)).

Following the NLLTA, the National Land Transport Strategic Framework (NLTSF) 2002-2007 was developed, which is alegal requirement in terms o Clause 21 o the NLTTA. The NLTSF embodies the overarching, national ve-year (2002to 2007) land transport strategy, which gives guidance on transport planning and land transport delivery by national

government, provinces and municipalities or this ve-year period.

Section 3.1.8 o the NLTSF states that the DOT will co-ordinate the issuing o clear guidelines to assist the relevantauthorities to regulate the transportation o scholars, sedan taxis, private hires and tourist transport. This sectionalso states that e orts will be made to accommodate transport or scholars where there are road-based passengertransport contracts.

With regard to unding, the NLTSF states that: Public transport services must be designed to provide a ordable transport to the public and also to achieve cost-

e ciency and service quality, the optimal allocation and utilisation o available resources, and market develop-

ment.

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Appropriate modes must be selected and planned for on the basis of where they will have the greatest impact onreducing the total systems cost o travel.

Services should be planned, where possible, so that subsidies will achieve the aim of assisting currently margina-lised users and those who have poor access to social and economic activity.

The principle of user charging or recovering costs from direct users must be applied wherever appropriate andpossible, in that such users should pay or all or most o the costs related to the service or activity in question.

Recently, the 2007 Public Transport Strategy and Action Plan document o the DOT proposes a radical trans ormationo the whole public transport system in South A rica. The key ocus o the Action Plan is on initiating implementationin a speedy and highly visible manner with maximum impact. The DOT articulates that success ul implementation o this Action Plan will see the improvement in public transport services or over hal the countrys population.

Phase 1 o the Action Plan makes provision or catalytic projects that will accelerate the implementation o integratedrapid public transport networks in metropolitan areas, smaller cities and rural districts. Phase 1 o the AcceleratedRecovery and Catalytic Projects o the Public Transport Action Plan articulates the nalisation o the scholar transportpolicy to ensure maximum accessibility o scholars through public transport network by 2007. One o the operationalimprovement actions o the Public Transport Action Plan is to award negotiated gross-based operating contracts tobus and taxi operators that will incorporate scholar transport contracts.

The Department o Transport Rural Transport Strategy is one o the transport policy interventions that seek to addressaccess and mobility challenges that the rural communities have to deal with on a daily basis with regard to transportmatters. The Rural Transport Strategy provides strategic direction and interventions or the provision o rural transportin rastructure and services to create enabling mechanisms or sustainable economic development, improved socialaccess and poverty alleviation in South A ricas rural areas.

The Strategy has, among others, identi ed the plight o scholars living in the rural areas as a matter which needsurgent attention. The Strategy advocates or the improvement o access and mobility or scholars and other groupso people in rural settlement areas.

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15

section 2

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section 2

2.1 vIsIon

To ensure the provision o a transport service that caters or the needs o scholars.

2.2 mIssIon

The mobility needs o scholars shall be met through the provision o a sa e, secure, reliable and a ordable scholartransport service to support social development and enhance uture economic growth.

2.3 stRategIc oBJectIves FoR scHolaR tRansPoRt The strategic objectives to be achieved through the scholar transport policy are: To develop a uniform national scholar transport policy framework within relevant processes and legislation of

government. To ensure transport acts as a catalyst for education through access to schools. To promote motorised and non-motorized transport in safe and secure circumstances over reasonable distanc -

es. To promote scholar transport within the main modes of public transport. To ensure the provision and maintenance of safe and secure scholar transport services and infrastructure.

To provide for the design of a route network and the design of such a transport service in order to ensure scholartransport is accessible and sa e or all scholars.

To ensure the procurement and formalization of scholar transport services in a transparent and accountable man-ner whilst promoting BBBEE.

To ensure sustainable and equitable funding for the provision of scholar transport services. To ensure safety and service standards are met within the appropriate modes of transport. To promote the co-ordination and co-operation with respect to scholar transport amongst all stakeholders. To monitor and evaluate scholar transport services and the impact of the policy. To ensure the provision of infrastructure in order to ensure the safety and security of scholars making use of such

a service.

2.4 guIdIng PolIcY PRIncIPles

The ollowing principles are ormulated to ocus the policy and to ensure that it is in line with government policies: There must be one overarching scholar transport policy. Scholar transport must be provided to all qualifying scholars. Scholar transport will be provided to the nearest school from the scholars residence. All modes of transport will form part of the scholar transport system. The procurement of scholar transport must take cognisance of empowerment opportunities.

Scholar transport shall be a ordable to all. Scholar transport shall be safe and secure.

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The directives of the scholar transport policy should use the Model Tender and Contract Documents for Subsi-dised Service Contracts as published by notice 1058 o 2006 in the Government Gazette o 8 August 2006, as abasis, and also take cognisance o the ollowing:- The Constitution o South A rica, 1996 (Act No. 108 o 1996): It provides the right o access to education by all

scholars.- The South African Schools Act (SASA), 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996) as amended: It ensures that all scholars have

right o access to quality education without discrimination, and makes schooling compulsory or children o ages 7-14.

- National Land Transport Transition Act, 2000 (Act No. 22 o 2000).- Public Transport Strategy and Action Plan, 2006 2007.- National Rural Transport Strategy (November 2003).- The National Road Tra c Act, 1996 (Act No 93. o 1996).

The various modes considered for scholar transport are de ned as follows:Bus : bus means a motor vehicle designed, or law ully adapted, by a registered manu acturer in compliancewith the Road Tra c Act, 1989 (Act No. 29 o 1989), to carry more than 35 persons, excluding the driver, subject tosection 31;School bus : school bus means a mini-bus or bus, owned by or contracted to, or on behal o , a school, andused principally or the conveyance o scholars and other persons associated with such school in terms o a validand appropriate Operating Licence;Midibus: midibus means a motor vehicle designed or law ully adapted by a registered manu acturer in com-pliance with the National Road Tra c Act, 1996 (Act No. 93 o 1996), to carry rom nineteen (19) to thirty- ve (35)seated persons, excluding the driver;Minibus : minibus means a motor vehicle designed or law ully adapted by a registered manu acturer in compli-ance with the National Road Tra c Act, 1996 (Act No. 93 o 1996), to carry rom nine (9) to eighteen (18) seatedpersons, excluding the driver, which con orms to the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme speci cations or a minibus

published by the Minister o Transport.LDVs : light delivery vehicles adapted or the conveyance o persons in compliance with the National Road Tra -c Act, 1996, and only i it meets the requirements set down by the MEC in terms o the National Land Transport

Transition Amendment Act, Act No. 26 o 2006.Bicycles : two-wheeled cycles, especially bicycles distributed in terms o the Shova ka Lula Bicycle Project.Animal-drawn vehicles : such as donkey carts which comply with the requirements o the regulations o theNational Road Tra c Act and when tted with equipment such as proper seating that will ensure the sa ety o passengers.Walking: is a orm o non-motorised transportation without a vehicle or animal that begins and ends the jour-ney on oot.

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section 3

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section 3: scHoLAR tRAnsPoRt PoLicY stAteMents

3.1 InstItutIonal aRRangements and goveRnance

Scholar transport provision is a huge undertaking, as indicated by the current ragmentation in the approach to theprovision o scholar transport.

There are a number o steps which need to be undertaken in order or it to succeed. It is imperative that the rolesinvolved are de ned and the responsible structures identi ed. This sub-section begins by looking at the key roles inscholar transport provision, as well as the responsible structures. The sub-section ends o with a discussion o themanagement and planning systems and structures.

3.1.1 R R p ibi i i i s h r tr p r Pr i i

Given its mandate, the Department o Transport (DOT) has the ultimate responsibility or providing scholar transport.While this is the case, the DOT acknowledges that collaboration with the relevant stakeholders is essencial i theprovision o scholar transport is to be implemented properly. There ore, the DOT undertakes to collaborate with theDepartment o Education and sub-structures in both the transport and education sectors. The discussion below givesan indication o the key roles in relation to the provision o scholar transport, as well as the relevant structures thatmust per orm these roles.

3.1.1.1 Development of National Policy

Scholar transport provision currently di ers rom province to province in terms o the way it is implemented and ad-ministered. National policy on scholar transport is necessary to set out the guidelines or how scholar transport mustbe implemented.

Policy Statement

The DOT will be responsible or the development and review o national policy on scholar transport provision a terconsultation with the relevant stakeholders.

3.1.1.2 Planning and Co-ordination of Scholar Transport

Planning is undamental to the success o scholar transport provision. Inadequate planning could result in problemssuch as insu cient allocation o resources, wastage o resources and ultimately ine ective implementation o scholartransport services. While there is evidence o planning or scholar transport provision and co-ordination thereo insome provinces, the practice has not been uni orm across the country. There ore, there is a need or adequate scholartransport planning and co-ordination across all spheres o government.

Policy Statement

Provincial Departments o Transport (PDOTs) must develop implementation strategies and plans in consultation with

Provincial Departments o Education (PDEs) and other key scholar transport stakeholders.

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The strategies and plans or scholar transport in a province must be included in the Provincial Land Transport Framework (PLTF) and Strategic Plan, as well as in the Integrated Transport Plans (ITPs) o Local Government. PDOTs must report onthe implementation o scholar transport using o cial structures.

Provincial plans must take into account provincial cross-border services where relevant.

PDOTs must ensure that Local Government develops detailed operational plans or the respective areas or which theyare responsible, on the basis o in ormation rom schools and in line with provincial plans.

Where capacity is lacking, provincial departments must assist with the development o detailed plans in the short-term,but make e orts to develop the capacity o Local Government in the long-term.

PDOTs must ensure co-ordination and alignment o provincial and local government scholar transport plans.

3.1.1.3 Regulation of Scholar Transport

Scholar transport is regulated in terms o general transport legislation and regulations, but there are no regulations thataddress issues speci c to scholar transport. In addition, there could be other issues that will arise as the Scholar TransportPolicy is being implemented that will need to be regulated.

Policy Statement

Departments o Transport must, where required, regulate any issue o relevance to scholar transport provision to pre-vent abuse and ensure e ciency.

3.1.1.4 Funding

Scholar transport provision is a huge undertaking which requires sustainable unding in order to succeed. Currentlythere is no dedicated unding or scholar transport provision.

Policy Statement

The DOT will und scholar transport provision through scholar transport subsidy.

3.1.1.5 Registration and Licensing of Operators

The NLTTA, 2000 requires transport operators to be registered. However, there are indications that some o the op-erators providing scholar transport are not registered and they have to be registered speci cally as scholar transportoperators.

Policy Statement

PDOTs, through their Registrars O ce and Operating Licence Boards, must register and license scholar transportoperators, and keep a database o all scholar transport operators.

Scholar transport operators will be required by PDOTs to renew their operating licences as prescribed by the NLTTA.

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3.1.1.6 Identi cation of Scholar Transport Bene ciaries for Subsidisation

Identi cation o scholars who will be provided with scholar transport is a crucial aspect in the provision o scholartransport as this eeds into the planning process as well as the actual implementation o those plans.

Policy Statement

PDOTs, a ter consultation with the PDEs, must ensure that quali ying scholars are identi ed in line with the identi edcriteria.

The DOT will provide subsidies to all quali ying scholars in dedicated transport and those integrated into the mainstreampublic transport.

Dedicated scholar transport re ers to a case where an operator uses modes o transport and drivers speci cally or trans-porting scholars at all times or at certain times when schools start and end. Integrated scholar transport re ers to thosecases where scholars are subsidised to use existing mainstream public transport system.

DOTs must consider integrating scholars into the existing public transport system where this is available and thereare not enough scholars to justi y the viable dedicated use o any o the transport modes regarded as appropriate intheir respective provinces speci cally.

The DOT acknowledges the act that schools and their communities possess in ormation about scholars, and there-ore, they are best positioned to identi y scholars who should quali y or scholar transport assistance. Principals, a ter

consultation with the School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and the school community, must identi y scholar transportbene ciaries in line with the ollowing additional criteria: Bene ciaries must be scholars from Grade R to Grade 12. The distance travelled must be more than 3km between home and school.

Scholar transport must be to the nearest appropriate grade school. Parental choice of schools must not be subsidised. Parental choice refers to when parents prefer to enrol their

children at schools other than the nearest suitable school.

3.1.1.7 Contracting of Services and Tendering

Contracting and tendering o services need to be co-ordinated in order to ensure a uni orm scholar transport systemor the entire country. When proper processes o contracting and tendering are not ollowed, it can result in raudu-

lent and corrupt practices. For example, in some cases principals and teachers have been reported to have contracted

themselves as scholar transport providers.

Policy Statement

PDOTs must ensure that scholar transport services are procured through the tender process as required by govern-ment legislation. The process must take into account the ollowing: Only registered operators with approved modes of transport will be contracted for the scholar transport provision. Local bidders with modes approved by the PDOTs, taking into account the topography of the province, must be

given rst pre erence in the provision o scholar transport.

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3.1.1.8 Law Enforcement and Ensuring Road Safety

Scholars moving to and rom school are vulnerable and exposed to the risk o tra c accidents, injuries and even atali-ties caused by inappropriate and unroadworthy vehicles. The DOT will need to increase its e orts to ensure sa ety orscholars. It is crucial or scholars to be transported sa ely to schools and back.

Policy Statement

PDOTs must work closely with Local Government to ensure that scholar transport providers comply with the sa ety mea-sures legislated by the DOT, including adhering to speed limits and ensuring that all passengers are seated irrespectiveo the transport mode used. Departments o Transport must, through tra c law en orcement o cials, ensure scholartransport providers comply with the tra c law as well as contract conditions relating to sa ety.

The DOT, in conjunction with the Road Tra c Management Corporation (RTMC), must ensure that pedestrians andpassengers are well in ormed about sa ety measures. It must continue to promote road sa ety using existing pro-grammes to educate scholars and the public as a whole.

3.1.1.9 Monitoring and Evaluation

There is a need or constant monitoring and evaluation o the implementation o scholar transport provision to track whether the set objectives are being met and to in orm necessary adjustments and interventions.

Policy Statement

The DOT must ensure that scholar transport programmes are monitored and evaluated.

3.1.2 m P i sy

Fragmentation in the management and planning o the provision o scholar transport necessitates that structuresthat will be responsible or each o these unctions should be identi ed.

In order to achieve the objectives set or scholar transport, there is a need or the implementation o the policy tobe managed at various levels o government, as well as or relevant stakeholders to be involved in the planning andmanagement structures and processes.

Policy Statement

The DOT and its provincial counterparts must manage implementation o scholar transport in the country throughdedicated components.

The PDOTs must establish a planning committee on scholar transport with representatives o the PDOT and the Pro-vincial Department o Education.

Annual planning must start with the identi cation o scholars in need o scholar transport. This in ormation shouldeed into the development o provincial scholar transport strategies and plans. Diagram 1 shows a suggested cycle o

planning as well as time rames.

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di r 1: cy P i r s h r tr p r Pr i i The diagram shows the planning cycle starting with the PDOTs obtaining in ormation on scholars rom the Depart-ments o Education in February. This becomes the basis or designing scholar transport services which must be donebetween March and June. A ter designing services, PDOTs will prepare budget inputs in July. The Department o Transport will then submit its budget to Treasury in August. In September, the services will be put to out tender orpotential scholar transport operators to bid. Following this will be the appointment o scholar transport operators,which must be done in November in time or them to start providing services in January o the ollowing year. Opera-tions must be reviewed and readjusted accordingly in August o each year in preparation or the ollowing year.

1. Obtain information database of

scholars from the Departments

of Education (February)

4. Submission of budget to

Treasury by DOT

(August)

3. Provinces prepare budget

inputs on scholar transport (July)

2. Design of services

(March to June)

5. Put out tender for operators to

operate scholar transport service

(September)

6. Appoint operators

(November)

7. Make provision for monitoring

of services

(November to December)

8. Implementation of scholar

transport provision

(to start in January)

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3.2 IntegRatIon Issues

Scholar transport must be integrated into the broader physical and planning environment to ensure that it becomes e ec-tive and sustainable. The provision o integrated services within communities promotes sustainability and accessibility .

3.2.1 l u tr p r I r i The past legacies o land use and transportation planning have resulted in major challenges in the provision o goodsand services or many people. The two planning processes have taken place in a disjointed manner as a result o theapartheid policy. The Departments o Transport, Education and Housing must be involved in the planning o the plac-ing o schools in relation to residences and in rastructure.

Policy Statement

Inter-governmental co-ordination must ensure integration o land use and transport, especially with regard to ensur-ing that settlements and the building o schools are co-ordinated through appropriate inter-governmental orums.

3.2.2 m I r i One o the main problems con ronting public transport is the lack o modal integration. This problem is o ten exacerbat-ed by competing modes o transport and ragmented spatial settlement planning. This development has proved to beexpensive and unsustainable. This also impacts negatively on the ability o scholars to access educational institutions.

Policy Statement

PDOTs must ensure that scholar transport services are integrated in order to render an e ective and e cient system.

Scholars who reside in areas where scholar transport services are not accessible will use other subsidized modes o transport. Inter-modal ticketing or scholars will be allowed to acilitate intermodal trans ers.

Provinces, in consultation with Local Government, must ensure that scholar transport services are accessible to schol-ars in both the urban and rural areas.

3.2.3 tr p r I r r r

The provision o transport in rastructure is important in rendering scholar transport and will ensure that scholar trans-

port operates within a ormalized environment.

Policy Statement

Inter-governmental co-ordination must ensure that adequate in rastructure is provided or scholar transport. Scholartransport in rastructure plans must be incorporated into the Integrated Transport Plans (ITPs).

3.3 economIc RegulatIon oF scHolaR tRansPoRtScholar transport must be integrated within the broader public transport system and they should bene t rom public

transport subsidies. The NLTTA requires that all subsidized transport services must be ormalized. Scholar transportmust there ore be provided in accordance with legislation.

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3.3.1 op r i li

The NLTTA stipulates that no person will operate a road-based public transport service without holding the necessarypermit or operating licence. The issuing o operating licences is a new transport requirement which requires publictransport services be operated on a route based operating licence.

Policy Statement

All scholar transport operators must have operating licences that allow them to operate the school service in additionto any other services or which they may be licensed.

Where a province prescribes a dedicated service, operating licences must be issued in terms thereo .

3.3.2 s r i d i r c r s r i

The service design o scholar transport services is a complex and detailed process which must ensure that coverage o the service area is adequately addressed. This process requires extensive consultation with other relevant stakehold-ers to ensure a air distribution o scholar transport services.

The scholar transport service designs should contain detailed route descriptions, vehicle types, timetables, trip cost,trip length, travel time, stops and ranking in ormation.

Policy Statement

The PDOTs in consultation with the PDEs and other relevant stakeholders must design the scholar transport services.

3.3.3 Pr r s h r tr p r s r i

The procurement o scholar transport needs to take cognisance o emerging scholar transport providers, since theexisting system does not do so. Many emerging scholar transport service providers do not have the means to acquirethe necessary assets to provide an acceptable quality o service. It is critical that nancial schemes and resources bemade available to empower emerging scholar transport service providers to participate in the procurement o scholartransport services.

The PDOTs must adhere to legislation and policies that promote SMMEs and BBBEE in the appointment o scholar

transport operators.

3.3.4 c r d r i

The high capital cost o acquiring assets requires a longer contract period or operators to pay o their assets. The cur-rent subsidised public transport contracts administered by the PDOTs are or a period o ve years. The most recentlypublished Model Tender and Contract Documents (MTCDs), however, have a contract period o seven years.

Policy Statement

Scholar transport contract services must be o a similar duration to that speci ed in the MTCDs.

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3.3.5 P y m h i

Public transport contracts speci y the method o payment or services rendered. The payment mechanism is agreedupon when the contract is awarded and prior to the commencement o services.

Payment to operators is done on the basis o total revenue kilometres travelled i.e. revenue kilometres are kilometrestravelled on approved routes according to approved timetables while carrying passengers. Dead or positioning kilo-metres are or the cost o the operator. Escalation clauses are included in the contracts.

Policy Statement

The payment o scholar transport operators contracts must use revenue kilometres as the basis or remunerationand an escalation clause must be included in the contracts. Payment must be e ected in terms o the Public FinanceManagement Act (PFMA).

3.3.6 s r i typ

There are various service types through which scholar transport can be provided. The provision o dedicated scholartransport will take some time to be ully rolled-out. The mainstream public transport will be used to transport schol-ars. The service types include:

3.3.6.1 Dedicated Service

Subsidized groupThese are operators who are providing a dedicated scholar transport service and are receiving subsidy rom the PDEs

and / or DOT. Scholars are picked up and dropped o at designated points.

Non-subsidized groupThese are operators who are rendering a dedicated scholar transport service and who are not receiving subsidy

rom either the PDEs or the DOT.- Class i: these operators enter into contractual agreements with the parents and are per orming a door-to-door

service. Charging xed ees are payable on a monthly basis and this is done at the beginning o every newmonth.

- Class ii: these operators have special arrangements with the scholars who organize themselves into groupingsand are picking up and dropped o at designated points. Scholars pay ares on a per trip basis.

3.3.6.2 Non-dedicated Service

Subsidized groupThese are operators who are providing general public transport services and transport scholars with special sub-sidized tickets.

3.3.6.3 Scholar Mobility through the Shova Kalula Bicycle Project

In 2001, the DOT initiated Shova Kalula (Pedal Easy) bicycle project as a pilot project or the provision o a low cost so-

lution to improve access and mobility o people in rural and urban areas. The project prioritised and targeted scholars,arm workers and women who walk long distances to access basic services and economic opportunities.

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The project has to date distributed more than 27 000 bicycles in all provinces. To provide or the bicycle maintenanceand ensure project sustainability, bicycle container maintenance shops are also established in all areas where bicyclesare distributed.

In October 2005, the Minister set a target o distributing one million bicycles by 2010. The primary target bene ciaries o the project will be scholars in rural and urban areas who walk more than 6km to schools. The primary ocus is currentlyon supplying bicycles to mainly scholars rom deep rural areas who meet a series o set quali cation criteria regardingthe distance they walk to school, the non-availability o scholar transport and the income o their households.

The rollout o the Shova Kalula bicycle project will make a valuable contribution in providing a low cost, sustainableand environmentally riendly means o access and mobility to many scholars who currently walk more than 6km one-way to school or more than 3km to education resource centres.

The provision o dedicated scholar transport services in a country such as South A rica, with low densities and limitedresources will be expensive to roll-out. It is there ore necessary that existing public transport services will be used totransport scholars.

Policy Statement

PDOTs must determine the type o services that will be appropriate in their areas o jurisdiction.

3.3.7 s h r tr p r a ibi i y

Factors that a ect accessibility to scholar transport di er rom one province to the other. The spatial characteristicsthat exist within di erent provinces have a major impact on accessibility to scholar transport. Some provinces havehigher density settlement areas than others and this has a bearing on access criteria.

Policy Statement

PDOTs in consultation with the PDEs must determine access criteria in terms o age, distance rom public transport,distance rom the school, a ordability, sa ety and security and disability or scholar transport.

3.3.8 s y s ri y

The sa ety o scholars is very important during the process o being transported. Exposure to external actors thatwill pose a threat to sa ety o scholars must be minimized. The security o scholars will have to address actors such as

hijackings, violence and other li e threatening incidents.

Policy Statement

PDOTs, in consultation with PDEs, must ensure that adequate sa ety and security measures are taken whilst scholarsare being transported.

3.4 QualItY RegulatIon oF scHolaR tRansPoRt

A comprehensive study titled Road Safety in School Transport, conducted in 2004 for the Directorate-General Energyand Transport o the European Union, investigated school transport programmes in the United States, Canada, the

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Scandinavian countries and Europe, and came to the ollowing conclusions regarding the various systems which aremost relevant or the process o ormalising and regulating the scholar transport system in South A rica.

These conclusions point to:

the di erences in de ning school transport;

the lack of a database and clear statistical information; improvements in the coordination between the di erent authorities;

integration of school transport into the local and regional mobility process;

increased awareness of childrens safety during school journeys

promotion of training and periodic re-training of school transport drivers;

school bus transport as the safest form of road transport;

the need for a strict and regular inspection regime;

the need for additional certi cates for school transport drivers as well as more regular health checks

speci c legislation on school transport; the importance of enforcement aimed at improving users behaviour; and

the introduction of measures in the eld of vehicle technology and safer infrastructure that will lead to improve-ments in road sa ety in the long term.

Taking into account these conclusions, as well as all the other in ormation collected through the literature study oninternational good practice, the essential issues regarding the sa ety and service standards o a scholar transport pro-gramme are captured in the policy statements below.

3.4.1 s y s r

The present scholar transport system does not ensure the sa ety o scholars. An integrated approach to school trans-port sa ety issues is necessary.

Policy Statement

The approach to scholar transport sa ety must involve a set o di erent sa ety measures ranging rom vehicle characteristics(i.e. speed devices, windows and door opening restrictions, and sa ety equipment); the promotion o other sa ety measures(e.g. tra c calming measures and arrangements in the vicinity o schools), to driver quali cations and training, as well as edu-

cation, publicity and awareness actions aimed at all the stakeholders (scholars, parents, teachers, drivers and authorities).

3.4.2 s r i s r

The responsibility or developing and implementing scholar transport service standards is normally divided betweendi erent institutions acting at di erent levels, which makes the implementation and monitoring o the measures andstandards di cult.

Policy Statement

The DOT must provide scholar transport service standards which have the objective o ensuring adequate servicesbased on targets and priorities.

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3.5 law enFoRcement

The provision o scholar transport needs to be properly regulated and policed to ensure the sa ety and security o thescholar transport bene ciaries. Municipal and provincial tra c law en orcers will play a major role in ensuring that therequirements and prescriptions o this policy are met by scholar transport service providers.

The law en orcement activities must be ocused on vehicular as well as operational aspects.

The current legal requirements regarding the transportation o passengers are captured in the National Road Tra cRegulations published in Government Notice No. R.225 o 17 March 2000, as amended by Government Notice Nos.R.761 of 31 July 2000, R.941 of 22 September 2000, R.726 of 3 August 2001, R.2116 of 5 October 2001, R.779 of 4 June2002, R.1341 of 25 September 2003, R.881 of 23 July 2004, and R.871 of 2 September 2005.

The Minister o Transport instructed the RTMC on 6 February 2006, a ter a bus accident in which two scholars werekilled in the Western Cape, to institute measures to ensure adherence to sa ety requirements and standards by all busoperators, especially those transporting scholars. He instructed the RTMC to ensure that testing stations and o cialsresponsible or issuing certi cates to unroadworthy buses and/or other passenger vehicles must account and be heldliable or their actions.

At the same time he instructed the DOT to liaise with the Department o Education to incorporate relevant sa etystandards into contracts providing transport or scholars, which are under the auspices o the PDOT.

The PDOTs were requested to assist with the implementation o measures in ensuring that scholar transport is man-aged in a manner that is reliable, sa e and com ortable to scholars.

The Minister published the MTCD to enhance the sa ety standards or buses and other vehicles involved in subsidizedpublic transport services. Governments attempts to encourage operators to renew their feet within a de ned periodwere at the core o the document.

At present there are scholar transport service providers who operate illegally e.g. without operating licences and withunroadworthy vehicles, which needs to be addressed through on-the-road law en orcement.

Policy Statement

PDOTs must ensure that there are su cient tra c o cers and road transportation inspectors to ensure that scholars

are transported sa ely and legally.

3.6 FundIng

Funding is critical to ensure that scholar transport services are rendered on an on-going basis. There needs to be asingle government department responsible or unding o scholar transport.

Funding or scholar transport is currently done on a ragmented basis which creates problems or e ective servicedelivery within various departments, or instance, the timely trans er o unds between departments. It is there ore

necessary that a single government department must be responsible or unding. There is currently no equitablespending or scholar transport in the country.

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Policy Statements

The DOT must ensure that there is adequate and sustainable unding or scholar transport through its national bud-get allocation. The DOT will trans er unding to the provinces through its own budget.

The DOT will develop a scholar transport unding model which will be implemented by PDOTs.

3.7 emPoweRment and oPeRatoR develoPment

Current government procurement legislation makes provision or the previously disadvantaged communities to par-ticipate in the tendering or government contracts. One o the main objectives o the empowerment opportunities isto bring these communities into the mainstream economy and to ormalize them into business entities.

3.7.1 Pr r Pr i BBBee smme opp r i i

A signi cant number o current scholar transport operators operate on an in ormal basis. Another major aspect con-ronting current scholar transport operators is a lack o business skills.

The existing in ormal scholar transport operators would not quali y to participate in the current tendering ramework.Many in ormal scholar transport operators would nd it di cult to meet the sa ety and service standards required inthe normal public transport contracting services.

One o the objectives o the MTCD is to promote BBBEE and SMMEs in tendering or subsidized public transport services.

Policy Statement

The DOT must empower emerging BBBEE and SMME scholar transport operators through developmental programmesto provide sustainable scholar transport services. The ollowing programmes need to be considered:

Skills development programmeContinued training with regard to relevant skills including, but not limited to, Procurement Processes, Basic Busi-ness Skills, Vehicle Maintenance and Customer Care must orm part o all scholar transport contracts.

Formalization of scholar transport operators

All scholar transport operators must be ormalized in terms o the prescribed transport legislation.

SMME consortiumsSMME consortiums will tender or scholar transport contracts.

Sub-contractingSub-contracting will be supported in the tendering or subsidized contract services.

Joint venture between a SMME operator and a large operator Joint venture model agreements will be supported between a SMME operator and a large operator.

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33

section 4

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section 4: iMPLeMentAtion FRAMeWoRK

4.1 ImPlementatIon ReQuIRements

The directives or a South A rican scholar transport system are based on international good practice models which areadapted and applied to the South A rican requirements and conditions as well as stakeholder interaction. In additionto the directives, the operators, drivers and vehicles used or scholar transport must adhere to the requirements o the regulations o the National Road Tra c Act (NRTA), Act No. 93 o 1996 and the National Land Transport TransitionAct (NLTTA), Act 22 o 2000.

4.1.1 R a ibi i y s y

Not all scholars have access to scholar transport through a well-de ned scholar transport service which includesproper in rastructure and acilities.

Policy Statement

The PDOTs, in consultation with Provincial Departments o Education (PDEs) and Local Government, must considerthe sa ety o scholars as well as the e ciency o services when determining routes.

The ollowing aspects must be considered when determining routes and acilities: A maximum walking distance to a scholar transport pick-up point (3km is considered fair). The distance between bus stops, taking into consideration exceptions for disabled children or hazardous condi-

tions. This distance will vary in rural and urban areas (between 2 5km). The safety of all involved should be considered when deciding where public transport stops are located, focusing

particularly on the visibility o the vehicle and keeping the passengers o the road sur ace. The passengers waiting at the public transport stop should have unobstructed vision in both directions. The necessity for a school vehicle carrying passengers to traverse a grade-level railroad crossing and low-water

bridges that are fooded should be eliminated. The written route descriptions maintained by the supervising authorities should also be made available to the

respective school principles. Routes should be planned so that a maximum number of scholars are picked up and dropped o at the assigned

stops, considering what is sa e and economically easible as to time and expense.

Routes should be planned in such a way as to eliminate the need for a vehicle to reverse. If the vehicle must re-verse, a sa e and adequate turning place must be available. Vehicles should never reverse in a heavily populatedarea.

Vehicles should not be routed over private roads and should where possible operate only on public roadways. Routes should be planned so that no more scholars are picked up than there are seats on the vehicle. School vehicles should begin their routes at the most distant point from their assigned school, picking up scholars

as the vehicle proceeds toward the school. When this is not possible, the least number o scholars should be car-ried away rom the school. Scholars should not ride longer than necessary on school vehicles.

A driver or contractor should not be allowed to make any changes in the established route without the approvalo the Authorities.

Arrival and departure times at the schools should be planned in such a way that they will minimize congestionand the creation o unsa e conditions.

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The crossing of scholars from one side of the road to the other side when alighting from a vehicle should be madeas sa e as possible. Directives or crossing the road could include the ollowing:- Scholars shall cross rom one side to the other side o a road to board a vehicle only:

in urban areas, where sa e and appropriate pedestrian crossings are available, when the bus has come to a ull stop, all tra c has come to a ull stop, in rural areas where the road is de nitely clear, and where it is absolutely sa e to cross. Applicable road signs must be used to indicate scholar pick-up points or stops. There should be design speci cations for the pick-up and drop-o points that will ensure the safety of the vehicle

as well as passengers.

4.1.2 e r y Pr r , eq ip , tr i i Q if i

The requirements or emergency equipment tted to or available on scholar transport vehicles are insu cient. Driv-ers are generally also not trained in basic rst aid.

Policy Statement

The PDOTs must ensure that the ollowing emergency equipment is provided in addition to that prescribed by legislation: telephone or communication device a re ective (warning) vest for the driver to be worn in cases of emergencies when the driver needs to leave the

bus re extinguishers emergency medical kit

Drivers should be trained in basic rst aid and should be responsible or the maintenance and use o the emergencymedical kit.

4.1.3 v hi sp if i

Vehicles used to transport scholars have to meet the requirements o the general regulations o the National Road Tra c Act (Act No. 93 o 1996) applicable to the transportation o passengers. However, this is not regarded as su -

cient or the transport o scholars.

Policy Statement

The PDOTs, in the provision o scholar transport services, must ensure adherence to legislation regarding vehiclespeci cations. The ollowing should apply speci cally to vehicles used to transport scholars: The use of vehicles other than buses, minibuses and midi-buses should also be considered for the transportation

o scholars. Although it is an o ence according to the National Road Tra c Act to transport any person or hireand reward in a light delivery vehicle (LDV), in certain areas and under certain conditions the MEC should givepermission to use LDVs suitably modi ed to SABS standards, as well as animal-drawn carts, such as donkey carts.

Vehicles should conform to the requirements of the MTCD as published by the Minister of Transport periodicallyin terms o the NLTTA.

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A vehicle can be declared un t for further service at any stage by an authorized examiner of vehicles. Minibuses or midi-buses are accepted modes of transport for scholars provided that they do not carry commuters

at the same time. Buses and minibuses should be allocated to routes in such a way that all scholars are seated and loads do not

exceed the manu acturers rated capacity. When emergency situations lead to scholars standing, such conditionsshould be corrected within a reasonable time. No scholars should at any stage be permitted to stand in a mini-bus.

Buses and minibuses should display the speed limits applicable to the mode of transport for scholar transportvehicles on the rear o the vehicle, i.e. 100 km/h or mini-buses and midi-buses and 80 km/h or buses.

Flashing upper lights to show other drivers that the bus has stopped and is loading or unloading passengers willadd to the creation o a sa e environment or the passengers. It must be an indication or vehicles behind the busto stop and wait or the scholars to disembark.

Sound devices indicating that a vehicle is reversing are already compulsory for vehicles transporting goods over3,5 tons and should be tted to vehicles transporting scholars as well.

School vehicles throughout the country should be colour-coded to indicate that the vehicle is a scholar transportvehicle with an operating licence.

4.1.4 cri ri r c r if i op r r dri r

The present requirements or the quali cations, training and experience o drivers o scholar transport vehicles areinadequate.

Policy Statement

The PDOTs in the provision o scholar transport must ensure that, in addition to the regulations pertaining to driv-

ers o public transport vehicles, the ollowing aspects regarding the certi cation o drivers o vehicles transportingscholars must also be required: The completion of a speci cally designed compulsory driver training programme. A minimum of ve years driving experience, during which time a valid driving licence was held.

4.1.5 c c r dri r s h r

There is no code o conduct to guide the behaviour o both drivers and passengers. There is there ore no instrumentto ensure accountability amongst those involved.

Policy Statements

4.1.5.1 Code of Conduct for Drivers

It is the responsibility o the DOT to ensure that a code o conduct or drivers is dra ted. The code must contain detailso the expected behaviour and measures or dealing with non-complying drivers, procedures or drivers and respons-es in the case o emergencies including accidents, the t, hijackings and when a scholar is seriously ill. This code should

orm part o the contract and be signed by the driver.

All scholar transport drivers must be in possession o a Pro essional Driving Permit (PDP) as required by the current

transport regulations.

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4.1.5.2 Code of Conduct for Scholars

School principals are responsible or ensuring that parents give written consent or their children to be transported.

Provincial Departments must ensure the development o a code o conduct or passengers in scholar transport a terconsultation with the relevant stakeholders. The code o conduct must include, but not be limited to, the ollowing: Expected/unacceptable behaviour. Measures for dealing with scholars who do not adhere to the agreed code. How repeat o enders will be dealt with.

The code o conduct must be displayed in all modes used or scholar transport or all to see.

4.1.6 Pr i i r s h r li i i h di bi i i

Current scholar transport does not make su cient provision or the transportation o scholars with physical disabilities.

Policy Statement

The PDOTs must ensure that all scholar transport is accessible to scholars living with disabilities.

4.2 InstItutIonal aRRangements

Institutional arrangements have the objective o ensuring that adequate resources, based on de ned targets andpriorities, are available or scholar transport and that they are e ectively used and properly monitored.

The responsibility or developing and implementing a scholar transport service has until now been split between di -erent Departments acting at di erent levels. This restriction a ects co-ordination and implementation.

Policy Statement

The DOT, together with its provincial counterparts, is responsible or developing institutional arrangements or theimplementation ramework.

4.3 monItoRIng and evaluatIon

Monitoring and evaluation is an integral part o the policy making process. It ensures that challenges and opportuni-ties are promptly identi ed and responded to, and assesses the impact, progress and achievements o the policy. Thein ormation derived rom monitoring and evaluation is crucial in providing accurate accounts and data on experi-ences, and serves as input to urther policy development processes. Monitoring and evaluation must be undertakenat various levels, i.e. policy, programme and project.

4.3.1 P i y m i ri e i

The lack o a national policy on scholar transport did not necessitate the monitoring and evaluation thereo . However,

the DOT is mandated by Section 85 (2) (b) the Constitution o the Republic o South A rica to be responsible or devel-oping and implementing transport policy. As the custodian o the scholar transport policy the department is respon-

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sible or policy monitoring and evaluation. This responsibility mandates the DOT to create an enabling environmentand oversight unction or scholar transport.

Policy Statement

The DOT must be responsible or monitoring and evaluation o the overall policy. The strategic objectives must beused as the basis to measure the e ectiveness o the policy. The DOT must ensure evaluation o the policy is done atregular ve-year intervals.

Monitoring o policy will be an on-going process to ensure e ective policy implementation. The monitoring o policyimplementation and impact will be an on-going process. The ollowing are some o the indicators the Department must use: Improved accessibility to schooling Number of scholars bene ting from scholar transport provision Reduction in the number of crashes, injuries and fatalities Number of operators registered Roll-out of programmes by provinces

4.3.2 Pr r m i ri e i

Programme monitoring and evaluation o scholar transport will take place at the provincial sphere o governmentbecause provinces are responsible or developing scholar transport programmes in their areas o jurisdiction. The in-

ormation obtained at the project level will serve as input in this process. The management, co-ordination and impacto scholar transport projects will be evaluated at the programme level.

Policy Statement

The PDOTs, in consultation with stakeholders, must ensure monitoring and evaluation o the scholar transport provi-sion programmes. The monitoring must be done on a continuous basis. Programme evaluation must be done on athree-year cycle.

The ollowing are some o the indicators that could be used: Quality of programmes designed Number of scholars bene ting from scholar transport provision Number of operators registered

School coverage Number of crashes, injuries and fatalities

4.3.3 Pr j m i ri e i

The actual implementation o scholar transport projects can only occur at local government level, because it is at thislevel that scholars will bene t. It is there ore at this level that scholar transport project monitoring and evaluation willtake place. It is at this level that the actual per ormance o the scholar transport policy can be measured by the resultso implementing local projects.

Supervising and monitoring rms will obtain and compile in ormation which will be as input in the monitoring andevaluation at the project level.

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Policy Statement

PDOTs, in co-operation with Local Government, must on annual basis evaluate the progress made with the imple-mentation o the scholar transport projects. Monitoring must be done on a continuous basis.

Some o the indicators to be used are: Travel time Number of scholars Number of trips missed Compliance with the timetable Overloading Arrival and departure times Vehicle road worthiness Number of crashes, injuries and fatalities

4.4 PolIcY advocacY

Communication and advocacy are crucial to the success o any policy. The South A rican public will need to be in ormedabout the scholar transport policy so that the targeted groups can have access to the scholar transport services.

Policy Statement

The DOT will be responsible or advocating and communicating the Scholar Transport Policy to the public and otherspheres o government.

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41

section 5

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section 5

5.1 waY FoRwaRd

A ter approval o this national policy on scholar transport, a ramework or the implementation o the scholar trans-port system will be provided. Those elements o the policy which require only administrative action will be imple-mented immediately. Those elements o the policy which require major changes rom existing practice will requirephased implementation.

Provinces should not embark upon the ormulation o policy or the adoption o practices that run contrary to theimplementation o this policy. The Department o Transport (DOT) will acilitate the smooth trans ormation and im-plementation o this policy.

Upon approval o this policy, the Provincial Departments o Education (PDEs) will have to trans er the scholar trans-port unction and cede the current contracts to PDOTs through transitional mechanisms. In instances where PDEs arein charge o scholar transport, budgets will have to be trans erred to the Provincial Departments o Transport (PDOTs)to ensure smooth transition o the trans er process. In the ollowing nancial year, the DOT would cover scholar trans-port subsidy as part o its departmental budget.

The migration o these responsibilities to the PDOTs must take cognisance o experiences and lessons learned toensure that scholars are not inconvenienced. Proper co-operation between the Provincial Education and TransportDepartments will ensure that the scholar transport unction does not collapse or experience administrative problemsin the middle o the nancial year.

The Minister o Transport will be advised on the establishment o a Directorate within the DOT to issue directives andexercise oversight over the ollowing:

Policy advocacy programmeA national policy advocacy programme must be developed. The advocacy programme must clearly de ne theroles o the DOT and the PDOTs. Communication material to be used on national and provincial level must be de-veloped by the DOT. The various target groups must be clearly de ned. These should range rom other relevantgovernment departments, service providers, schools, parents, and local government structures.

Scholar transport transitional structuresThe DOT will be responsible or chairing the transitional structure.

The implementation of institutional arrangementsThe DOT must co-ordinate the implementation o the institutional arrangements.

Identifying subsidy mechanismThe subsidy unit within the DOT must acilitate the subsidy mechanism.

Administration of subsidy

The administration o subsidy must be undertaken by the DOT subsidy unit.

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The implementation of safety and service standardsIn spite o the act that the sa ety and service standards prescribed by this policy will contribute towards a sa eand reliable scholar transport service, objections rom stakeholders such as scholar transport operators, commu-nities, parents, local governments, schools, scholars and teachers can be expected. The smooth implementationo the standards could be ensured through:- the promotion o school travel plans- road sa ety programmes in conjunction with the Road Tra c Management Corporation (RTMC)- training and education or scholar transport drivers- active participation o all stakeholders in the planning process

The development and implementation of a national scholar transport databaseStatistical vagueness, resulting rom a lack o in ormation, has a limiting a ect on determining the e ectivenesso policy implementation. A national integrated in ormation system is needed to monitor and evaluate the imple-mentation o the policy on scholar transport and to develop a benchmark to compare per ormance.

The in ormation in the national database must be indicated on various levels, rom national to provincial, regionaland local levels. The monitoring and evaluation will be made possible i in ormation regarding the ollowing iscontained in the database:- contracted scholar transport service providers- contract details- uncontracted operators- vehicles used or scholar transport- drivers o scholar transport vehicles- tra c o ences- schools participating

- scholars participating- routes (number o routes, location, length, urban/rural, number o scholars per route, etc.)- number o scholars cycling- number o scholars walking- penalties (late/early arrival or departure, no trip, etc.)- driver misconduct- scholar misconduct- accidents- injuries- atalities

Formalisation of the scholar transport industry The DOT must initiate a process to ormalise the scholar transport service industry. The ormalisation will ensurethat service providers and drivers comply with all the standards as set out in the policy. The a liation to a pro es-sional body will assist with the monitoring o service levels.

The development of provincial implementation plans and strategiesProvinces must develop provincial scholar transport plans and strategies aligned with the national scholar trans-port policy. These plans, a ter approval by the MEC, must be submitted to the DOT at speci ed times which willallow the DOT in turn to submit the national scholar transport budget to Treasury on time.

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The development and amendment of legislationThe DOT is responsible or developing the legal requirements or the implementation ramework. The regulationalterations are determined by the issues mentioned in the policy statements.

Alterations to regulations will be determined by the statements regarding the ollowing as they appear in Section3 o this policy document:- Route accessibility and sa ety- Emergency procedures, equipment, training and quali cations- Speed limits- Vehicle speci cations- Certi cation o operators and drivers- Curricular and extra-curricular trips- Regulations or operators- Code o conduct or drivers and passengers- Provisions or scholars with disabilities

5.2 conclusIon

The DOT is committed to the provision o sa e and reliable scholar transport. In pursuit o the vision or the provisiono scholar transport, the Department seeks to prioritise the policies contained in this document and translate theseinto practical service delivery initiatives.

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APPendices

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APPendiX 1

lIst oF aBBRevIatIons

BBBEE - Broad Based Black Economic EmpowermentDoE - Department o EducationDOT - Department o TransportIDP - Integrated Development PlanITP - Integrated Transport Plankm - KilometresKPI - Key Per ormance IndicatorLDV - Light Delivery VehicleNHTS - National Household Transport SurveyMEC - Member o the Executive CommitteeMEC - Minister o the Executive Committee o a Provincial GovernmentMTCD - Model Tender and Contract DocumentsNLTSF - National Land Transport Strategic Framework NLTTA - National Land Transport Transition ActPDE - Provincial Department o EducationPDOT - Provincial Department o TransportPDP - Pro essional Driving PermitPFMA - Public Finance Management Act

PLTF - Provincial Land Transport Framework RTMC - Road Tra c Management CorporationSASA - South A rican Schools ActSGB - School Governing BodySMME - Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises

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APPendiX 2

glossaRY

Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment is de ned as an integrated and coherent socio-economic processthat directly contributes to the economic trans ormation o South A rica and brings about signi cant increasesin the numbers o black people who manage, own and control the countrys economy, as well as signi cant de-creases in income inequalities.

Contract - is an agreement between an authority and an operator regarding the delivery of a speci ed service atan agreed price.

Framework - is an outline or skeleton which provides the structure and form around which a plan or policy orstrategy is constructed.

Goal - a goal is an idealised end-state of the system or a desired direction of the evolution of the system. Issue - an issue arises in a national, district or local community when there are con icting goals and objectives

(desires or perceptions) within the community. Key performance indicator - is a yardstick or standard established to measure levels of performance and achieve-

ment. Non-contracted service is a public transport service other than one operated in terms of a commercial service

contract, subsidised service contract, current tendered contract, interim contract or concession agreement. Objective - an objective is a target, the attainment of which will help towards reaching a stated goal. Policy - a policy is an adopted framework or basis for the action needed to overcome identi ed problems and

achieve stated goals and objectives. Problem - a problem is an unful lled or unattained goal or objective. Public transport - is the conveyance of people or freight for reward by any travel mode whether car, metered taxi,

minibus-taxi, bus, tram and light and heavy rail. Roadworthy certi cate is a certi cate certifying the roadworthiness of a motor vehicle in accordance with the

requirements o the Road Tra c Act, 1989 (Act No. 29 o 1989). Scheduled service is a public transport service operated by road by a motor car, minibus, midibus or bus on a

particular route or routes in accordance with a timetable. Special categories of passengers - means scholars, persons with disabilities, tourists, transferring long-distance

passengers, the aged, pregnant women and those who are limited in their movements by children with or with-out pushchairs or prams.

Subsidised service contract means an agreement, other than an interim contract or a current tendered contract,concluded between a contracting authority and a public transport operator to operate a scheduled service pro-

vided or in a public transport plan. Tendered contract - the authority to operate a public transport route or network at tendered contract rates. Vision - a vision is a commonly-shared foresight of future conditions.

LR DOT Report 12-3-09

Documents

Transcript of LR DOT Report 12-3-09