Never a dull moment…

The Minister of Transport tabled the Transport Budget Vote last month with an allocation of R79.565 billion being approved for the 2023/2024 financial year. A total of R42 million has been budgeted to construct, upgrade, and maintain the national and provincial road networks. SHARMINI NAIDOO reports that the Department’s main focus this year will be on roads, rail, public transport, and critical policy and legislation.

SABOA welcomes the investment in both the road infrastructure and public transport with open arms. We live in hope that contract obligations are timeously met to ensure operators are able to run smoothly to meet commuter needs.

The association continues to engage with government and recently presented member concerns on the Transport Economic Bill to the Transport Portfolio Committee, which is seen to be a panacea for the Department of Transport to solve the multi-modal challenges.

The controversial Employment Equity Bill is now being legally challenged on potential violations of the Constitution and perpetuating inequity, so it is unclear whether or not the Bill will be implemented. Inadequate consultation and uncertainty around the Minister’s powers may also have played a major role in the discontent.

The Amendments empower the Minister of Employment and Labour to set employment equity numerical targets for national economic sectors. This results in the draft sectoral targets being published, focusing on top and senior management, professional and skilled levels, and people with disabilities. These targets are based on economic sectors according to race and gender, with both national and provincial percentages.

For the bus industry – which falls under the transportation and storage economic sector – the quotas appear to be quite rigid and may in fact contravene certain aspects of the Labour Relations Act. The inherent characteristics of the industry, as well as the uncertainty and specific nuances of the bus contracts, further complicate matters and will make compliance in its current form a major challenge.

The issuing of permits is still a problem in some of provinces – for example Gauteng – with operators left with over 90% of their fleets lacking valid permits for the current contract extension period. This unfortunately results in operators not being able to provide scheduled services according to their contracts, incurring penalties, and worst of all leaving commuters who depend on these services in the lurch (or at the very least, inconvenienced).

Commitment has, in the past, been made by the province to resolve the matter, and we have urged the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport MEC to urgently intervene to expedite this process. We cannot afford to have operators succumb to the temptation of operating without permits in order to meet commitments.

On the B-BBEE front, the Charter process has been resuscitated with the new Transport Charter Council being appointed and the 2017 Bus and Coach Industry Scorecard being presented at the recent B-BBEE Symposium. As this was rejected by industry at the time, we expect consultations to begin soon.

According to the World Bank, women make up only 23% of employees in the transport, storage, and communication sector across the Europe and Central Asia region. This is much lower in South Africa, as the majority of women are largely excluded from the sector (especially in operations) due to the significant barriers to entry and intrinsic characteristics of the transport industry.

SABOA’s collaboration with Commercial Transport Academy (CTA) and Southern African Bus Clarendon Transport Underwriting Managers (CTU) is aimed at redressing this imbalance by training women in the bus industry. This initiative holds immense importance in South Africa, as it promotes gender equality and empowers women by providing them with equal opportunities in a traditionally male-dominated field. By breaking gender stereotypes, it fosters inclusivity and diversity in the transport sector and helps to bridge the skills shortage in the country.

Through the training and employment of more women, the collaboration contributes to a larger pool of skilled professionals, meeting the growing demands of the transportation sector. With more women entering the workforce and contributing to the sector’s development, South Africa can harness untapped potential and benefit from increased productivity, innovation, and economic growth. This unique relationship serves as a role model for the transport industry as well as other industries and sectors, encouraging them to adopt similar initiatives for women’s empowerment. It sets a precedent and highlights the positive impact that diverse and inclusive workplaces can have on society as a whole.

Our collaboration has so far assisted 15 women to acquire their commercial vehicle experience. They are now ready to enter the market and migrate into the industry. In addition, other female code 14 drivers who have been upskilled are also available to be absorbed into the market.

Annual conference preparations are currently underway. Our programme will include an update and review of policy and regulation, technological advances, news, views, and industry learnings. One of the many highlights will be a presentation on the practicalities of introducing electric buses. Seen as a major opportunity for sustainable public transport, electric buses may represent a great solution for reducing emissions and noise levels. The concern, however, is whether this approach is cost-effective. Also, does it provide sustainable solutions and what are some of the teething problems? Delegates can look forward to finding out more about this project at the conference. More information can be found on our website: www.saboa.co.za.