Maseru __ As the Department of Road Safety prepares for an annual back to school road safety campaign, it has called on scholar transport operators to comply and avoid overloading for the safety of children.

The call was made by Principal Road Safety Officer Mr. Setsoto Putsoa
in an interview with the Agency, following intense debate on social media regarding a horrific accident between a school bus and a truck,  which occurred at Vanderbijlpark, South Africa on Monday morning and claimed about 13 lives of pupils.

Mr. Putsoa said they have learnt that some scholar transport operators are always in a hurry as they ferry pupils to different schools, as a result, drive recklessly and forget they carry lives.

He therefore urged them to be on time and comply with their certificates of fitness, which specify the number of pupils a vehicle should carry.

"A taxi is mandated to carry 28 pupils while a seven or eight sitter is expected to carry 14 pupils" he said.

On the other hand, the Chief Transport Inspector Ms. Thakane Motuba said the certificate of fitness is issued based on a type of the scholar transport and confirmed that two pupils are expected to share a sit thus a normal taxi, which carries 15 passengers is expected to carry 30 pupils regardless of being a high or primary scholar.

Also interviewed were some of the parents who also complained of overcrowding in school buses.

One Mr. Motlalepula Ntsane said school buses are usually empty when
picking up pupils at their homes and when dropping them after school however, they are always surprised to see them overloaded on the roads, saying operators are greedy as they prioritise money instead of children's safety.

Meanwhile, the Department of Road Safety's back to school campaign aims to address issues with scholar safety and smooth school operations by checking vehicle fitness, enforcing traffic laws to prevent accidents as well as educating students and parents about road safety basics.