Pretoria - If you plan to provide transport services during the World Cup soccer tournament, you need to apply for a temporary operator's licence before February 28.
The minister of transport recently published the tournament's transport regulations in the Government Gazette.
However, industry leaders are concerned about the authorities' ability to process the applications in time.
Those who provide public transport for a fee, as well as hotels and guest houses which transport guests with a minibus, midibus or bus - or will use three or more vehicles, are obliged to obtain a temporary licence.
The licence is compulsory for anyone who will provide transport from any place in the country to or from any even related to the tournament.
The application, along with a R100 levy per vehicle, must be submitted to the Provincial Regulations Entity in the province from which the journey starts. If there is no such entity in the province, it must be submitted to the relevant industry licence board.
Eric Cornelius, CEO of the South African Bus Operators Association (Saboa), says that the regulations entity envisaged in the regulations will not come into operation in time for the tournament.
It remains an open question whether the licensing boards will be able to process all the applications in time, Cornelius and other industry leaders told Sake24.com.
Cornelius expects "masses of applications". Most will be in Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Especially the Gauteng Licensing Board's ability is a great source of concern, he says.
Cornelius feels there could be many applications from applicants who are not familiar with these administrative processes. This could lead to delays.
In terms of the regulations, host cities and government institutions must consider aspects like an operator's crime record to determine whether a transport contract may be awarded.
Operators who wish to be considered for such contracts or want to apply for a temporary operator's licence must have, among other things, tax clearance.
Every vehicle must undergo a roadworthy inspection again and obtain a special roadworthy certificate.
Michael Tatalias, CEO of the South African Tourism Services Association (Satsa), says that owners of accommodation who are technically speaking not obliged to have a licence would be advised to apply for one anyway.
The owner of a guesthouse who picks up guests at the airport with a passenger car or a combi that falls outside the legal definition of a - minibus need, for example, not apply. "But try to explain this to a traffic official that stops you," Tatalias says.
- Sake24.com
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