About 125 Gauteng bus operators refused to run their buses on Wednesday, leaving thousands of pupils stranded, the South African Bus Operators’ Association (Saboa) said.
The operators demand 35c/km for each child transported, while the Gauteng education department, which had initially agreed to the rate, is now offering 25c/km per child, said Eric Cornelius, Saboa’s manager.
The department has been paying 20c/km for each child since 2003. The rate would have risen to 35c/km per child on Monday, but the department has refused to pay the increase.
”It’s not a strike. The operators cannot afford diesel at the proposed rate. The department’s proposed rate is not enough,” Cornelius said.
The department also owes the operators ”a few million rands” for monthly claims going as far back as 2003, he said.
”We will not go to work tomorrow [Thursday] and all the days after that until the problem is settled,” Cornelius said.
In a statement issued on Monday, the association said its action was prompted by Wednesday’s R1,60 diesel price hike to 532,9 cents a litre (c/l). Before Wednesday, the cost of diesel was 372,2c/l.
The bus operators are contracted to the department to ferry 66 000 children to schools in 12 districts around Gauteng.
Half the number is transported in the mornings and the other half in the afternoons.
Panyaza Lesufi, the department of education’s spokesperson, said the total cost would be R40-million each year if the department paid 25c for each child.
It would amount to more than R300-million a year if the department agreed to pay the 35c for each child, Lesufi said.
”We are differing. We can’t afford that,” he said, adding that the hardest-hit areas are Tshwane and Bronkhorstspruit.
One operator said the diesel price increase makes it difficult for him to run his business at the 20c/km-per-child rate from the department.
”We are struggling. We find it difficult to operate at the 20c/km rate. If the department adjusted the rate annually, it would be better. We have been working for the 20c/km since 2003,” Thomas Mazibuko said. — Sapa