Pretoria - The Department of Roads and Transport has urged operators of public transport to collect their operating licences before the end of next month to avoid having them cancelled.
The department called on public transport operators who applied for their licences and have not collected them as yet to visit their regional Transport Operating Licence Administrative Bodies (TOLAB) and collect their licences by no later than May 31.
According to the department, failure to collect before the deadline could result in the issued licences being cancelled.
As it stands there were reportedly 1188 uncollected operating licences in the department’s possession which were issued between 2018 and 2023.
With the department’s core mandates being to regulate public transport in the province through the issuance of operating licences, derived in part from the National Land Transport Act and its supporting regulations.
As per the regulation operators of public transport services must hold an operating licence for each vehicle operated.
An operating licence is required where the transport is provided for a fare or reward.
Operators are required to bring their vehicle registration documents, valid tax compliance certificate, valid identification document, receipt issued to the operator during the application stage.
In Tshwane alone there are a total 212 uncollected licences.
Moss Mobutsa, a public operator who visited the Centurion licensing department earlier today said he found the entire process swift and easy, as he applied for his professional driving permit (PDP) and received feedback to collect it within the stipulated period of three to six weeks.
Mobutsa said although he was not working as yet he wanted to get his affairs in order so as not to delay any prospective job offers on the horizon.
Steven Mojele, a taxi operator from Soshanguve said although he didn't know it was possible for the licences to be cancelled he found the online application easy and quick to navigate.
Mojele said he applied for his PDP in March and he received a message to collect it on Monday at the Waltloo licensing centre.
"I applied online and they gave me a date and when I had time I managed to pay for it. I'm glad the process was taken online as I need it to work and avoid getting into trouble with law enforcement."
Scholar transport owner Yvonne Rihkotso, however did not find the process as effortless as she said she had been waiting for close to two months to get her PDP which she applied for at the Bronkhorstspruit licensing centre.
Rihkotso said even though she had gone to do her fingerprints four weeks after applying for a renewal of her PDP, she was yet to receive any communication about the status of the application.
She said despite applying over a month ago she was not getting any information about her application and had been travelling from Sunnyside to Bronkhorstspruit to check her permit for the past six weeks.
"Every time I go there either the fingerprints are not done or the workers are on strike so I don't know what I have to do to get my documents released."
"Things were easier years back because then we at least got sms notifications to come and collect, but now there's just silence. For the time being I simply opted to get a temporary one to get by as I don't want insurance to give me hassles should something happen while on the road."
Pretoria News