Things you need to know for level 4 SA transport regulations

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announced the department’s revised regulations on Thursday as the country slides into level 4 lockdown opening the economic window and more people are set to return to work.

 

Mbalula announced the following regulations:

Public Transport:

 

All road-based public transport services are permitted to operate from 05:00 until 19:00, with a grace period of one hour in the afternoon to complete their trips and drop off passengers.  This includes minibus taxis, buses, metered taxis, e-hailing services, charter and shuttle services.

 

No person is allowed to use public transport without wearing a face mask.

 

Minibus taxis

• Loading capacity for minibus taxis remains at 70% of passengers, with social distancing, masks and sanitisation to be used.

 

e-Hailing and metered taxis

• Loading capacity for metered taxis and e-hailing services remains at 50%.
• A 5-seater vehicle is permitted to carry a maximum of two passengers and a driver.

 

Buses

• Buses will be allowed to transport 70% of passengers of their licensed loading capacity, with requisite social distancing, wearing of masks by all passengers and sanitisation of passengers.
• From today until 7 May long distance trips for workers, who relocated to other provinces and places of stay, are allowed.

 

Shuttle and chauffeur services

• Both shuttle and chauffeur services will only be permitted for transportation of essential workers and those economic sectors allowed to return back to work under level 4.
• Loading capacity of 50% is equally applicable to these services.

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Charter services

• This service is only be permitted for transportation of people undertaking essential work, loading capacity of 50% is equally applicable to these services.
• The mining sector and employees finishing work outside the permitted public transport operating hours, may make use of charter services. Workers need documents to prove they work in the sector.

 

Delivery services

• Delivery services such as Uber Eats, Mr Delivery and any other similar service are permitted to operate between 09:00 and 19:00 only for the delivery of food.

 

Courier services

• Courier services are permitted to operate in the delivery of any goods permitted for sale in the level 4 regulations. This includes online shopping items such as personal ICT equipment and other goods.

 

Travel between provinces, metros and districts

• Travel between provinces, metropolitan areas and districts is prohibited. Workers who have to commute between the areas on a daily basis, attendance of funerals and transportation of mortal remains will be exempted from this.
• Regulation allowing a once-off travelling for persons who were not at their places of residence before the lockdown period and could not travel between provinces, metropolitan and district areas during the lockdown, are now permitted to travel between 1- 7 May.
• Bus and taxi operators are allowed to undertake long distance travel during this window period in compliance with the 70% passenger capacity. All passengers must wear masks and all vehicles must be sanitised.

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Driving schools

• Driving schools will be permitted to resume their activities subject to effective social distancing and sanitising measures. Both the instructor and the learner must wear face masks at all times.

 

Vehicle services

• Servicing of vehicles of personnel performing emergency services is permitted under level 4, this also includes the importation of spares for service purposes and for manufacturing. Emergency spares are also allowed to be on sale.
• Repairs and fitments to vehicles utilised for emergency and essential services is permitted.

 

Emergency services and roadside assistance

• Emergency services and roadside services for all is allowed.  This also includes towing services and support with the breakdown of vehicles.

 

Drivers’ licence testing centres and vehicle testing centres

• Drivers’ licence testing centres and vehicle testing centres will gradually re-open for essential service workers to renew their drivers’ and vehicle licenses.
• The opening of the centres will be staggered once government ensures Covid-19 health measures are implemented. Metro-based centres will be opened first from 1 June, with a  limited number of people that can be attended to at times.

 

Maritime

• The ban on passenger vessels and cruise liners remains in place. Only vessels bringing in cargo are allowed in ports.

 

Aviation

• The ban on domestic and international passenger flights remains in place.
• Repatriation flights to either bring back South Africans stranded in foreign countries or for foreign nationals to get to their home countries will continue.
• The mining and agricultural sector will be allowed limited movement of aircrafts, either to transport essential workers by chartered aircrafts or to spray pesticides on crops.

 

Rail

• Gautrain operations will be gradually re-introduced in all rail-based services, covering 8/9 stations.  There will be no airport service.
• An appropriate load factor will be applied by all operators based on their seating and standing arrangements according to 50% standard coach occupancy, with social distancing rules in place.
• Operating staff in completion of service, will operate from 05:00 to 12:00 and 15:00. The last trains will depart at 18:00 to clear the system by 19:00.

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Prasa

• Prasa will similarly adopt a gradual re-introduction of its services based on its capacity to manage crowds, implement effective social distancing and implement other mitigation measures that include cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, trains and stations.
• There will be no immediate resumption of the Metrorail commuter services until the risk of transmission is manageable on a corridor-by-corridor basis. Long distance trains are still prohibited in level 4.

 

Cross-border road transport

• Cross-border road passenger movement remains prohibited. Only essential cargo will be allowed to move across land borders. However, the definition of essential cargo has been broadened in level 4.

Mbalula said all these directions announced come into effect immediately.

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