Overloading, faulty brakes and missing permits: Inside South Africa’s scholar transport safety crisis

For thousands of South African families, the school day begins long before the first lesson. It starts with a minibus taxi, a small van or a privately owned car pulling up outside the gate to collect children for school.

But recent incidents have raised serious concerns about whether those daily journeys are as safe as parents believe.

Authorities and road safety groups are warning that dangerous violations in scholar transport, from overloaded vehicles to defective brakes are placing pupils at risk across the country.

Overloaded school bus stopped in Durban roadblock

The latest incident happened on Friday morning when officers from the Durban Metro Police Service conducted a vehicle checkpoint along M35 Umbumbulu Road, Durban.

During the operation, police stopped a school transport bus that was carrying eight more learners than legally allowed.

According to officials, the situation inside the vehicle was particularly alarming.

One child was reportedly seated on a bench placed in the passage, leaving almost no room for safe movement in the bus. Police say the driver was immediately charged for the violation.

While the case might seem isolated, authorities say it reflects a much bigger problem within the scholar transport sector.

A recent tragedy still fresh in Durban

The checkpoint came just days after a tragic accident in KwaMashu, Durban highlighted the dangers faced by children travelling to school.

Last week, a scholar transport minibus taxi overturned in Mount Moriah, resulting in the death of a child and leaving 14 others injured.

The injured children, who attend daycare schools, were treated at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital.

Following the crash, the driver later handed himself over to police.

The incident sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many parents asking why unsafe vehicles continue to operate despite repeated warnings from authorities.

National inspections reveal widespread violations

The troubling pattern is backed up by recent findings from the Road Traffic Management Corporation.

During a national compliance campaign, officials inspected 5,386 scholar transport vehicles across South Africa.

The results were worrying:

• 1,028 violations were recorded

• 589 non-compliant vehicles were privately owned

• 146 were parent-contracted

• 95 belonged to the Department of Transport

• 11 were linked to the Department of Basic Education

• 7 were school-owned vehicles

Authorities issued 500 fines, impounded 219 vehicles, and removed two vehicles from operation entirely.

Many violations involved missing permits, drivers without valid licences or Professional Driving Permits (PDPs), and serious vehicle defects, including worn tyres, faulty brakes and broken lights.

Interestingly, most offenders were between 18 and 35 years old, according to the data.

Why the problem keeps happening

Education advocates say the issue often comes down to economics.

National Association of School Governing Bodies general secretary Matakanye Matakanya believes profit pressures are pushing some operators to break safety rules.

Operating a transport service can be expensive vehicles must be maintained, fuelled and driven daily.

Some operators try to offset those costs by squeezing in extra passengers.

In simple terms: more children mean more income.

“You may find cars being used for transport that are not roadworthy,” Matakanya said, adding that overloading is one of the most common violations.

But he warned that such decisions often come at a terrible cost.

“These are money-driven choices that end up injuring or killing children,” he said.

Parents also face difficult choices

Safety advocates say responsibility doesn’t lie with transport operators alone.

Some parents, struggling with rising living costs, choose cheaper transport options that may not meet safety standards.

In many communities, especially in working-class suburbs and townships, safe scholar transport is simply too expensive for some households.

That reality has created a grey area where informal or unregulated transport services fill the gap.

For families who rely on them, it can feel like a risky but unavoidable compromise.

Pressure mounts for stricter enforcement

Road safety groups are now calling for stronger enforcement and tougher penalties.

KZN Parents Association chairperson Vee Gani says some vehicles operate recklessly in an attempt to maximise daily earnings.

According to him, certain operators rush between schools to collect multiple groups of learners in quick succession.

“When accidents happen, it’s often because drivers are rushing for another load or driving irresponsibly,” he explained.

Gani believes authorities should increase roadblocks and impose harsher penalties for offenders.

He also urged transport owners to ensure their vehicles are regularly inspected and that drivers have proper licences and PDP permits.

Not just taxis, a broader transport issue

Experts emphasise that scholar transport is not limited to the taxi industry.

It includes private vehicles, small vans, and cars contracted by parents or schools.

That means responsibility is spread across multiple sectors, from government departments to school governing bodies and private operators.

Without stronger oversight, the risks will remain.

A daily journey that should be safe

For many South African children, the trip to school is the first step toward a better future.

But when vehicles are overloaded, poorly maintained or driven by unqualified drivers, that daily journey can quickly turn dangerous.

As one parent wrote on social media after the KwaMashu accident: “Children should worry about homework, not whether they’ll get to school safely.”

Until stricter compliance becomes the norm, safety advocates warn that the country’s youngest passengers may continue to pay the price for a system under pressure.