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Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula, has announced details of the impact that the move from Level 5 of the countrywide lockdown to Level 4, will have on the transport sector.
He said with the move to Level 4 from Friday and more people returning to work, the Department has revised the operating hours for all road-based public transport modes.
“All road-based public transport services are permitted to operate from 05h00 until 19h00, with a grace period of 1 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,” Mbalula said.
The Minister said no public transport is allowed on the road between 20h00 and 05h00.
“Sanitisation principles currently applicable to public transport vehicles and facilities remain,” he said adding that no one will be allowed to use public transport without wearing a face mask.
Travel between Provinces, Metropolitan areas, and Districts is prohibited, with concessions made for workers who have to commute to and from work on a daily basis, attendance of funerals, and transportation of mortal remains.
Mbalula said that regulations published by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs allow for a once-off special dispensation for persons who were not at their places of residence before the lockdown period and who could not return.
“Those people are now permitted to travel between 1 May 2020 and 7 May 2020 in line with the COGTA Regulations,” he said, adding that bus and taxi operators are allowed to undertake long-distance travel during this window period.
Minibus-Taxis
Loading capacity for minibus-taxis remains at 70% of licensed passengers, with social distancing and other mitigating measures remaining in place.
eHailing 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 2 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 other mitigating measures.
Maritime
In respect of maritime transport, there will be no changes to the Directions regulating the movement of ships.
The ban on passenger vessels and cruise liners remains in place, and only vessels bringing in cargo are allowed to call on our ports.
However, we will allow the movement of cargo from our sea-ports to either warehouses or final destinations as provided for in the current rules. final destinations as provided for in the current rules.
RAIL
With the gradual resumption of economic activity in certain sectors and permitted movement of freight, we will allow the full resumption of freight rail.
Commuter rail will resume operations gradually on an incremental basis, based on the detailed plans submitted by the passenger rail operators. Limited services with strict measures to ensure social distancing and other mitigation measures, will be introduced.
Charter Services
Charter services will be subject to the same rules as other road-based public transport modes. This service is only be permitted for the transportation of people undertaking essential work. Loading capacity of 50% is equally applicable to these services.
Delivery Services
Delivery Services such as Uber Eats, Mr Delivery and any other similar service are permitted to operate between 09h00 and 19h00 only for 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.
Aviation
The ban on both domestic and international passenger flights remains in place.
However, as is already the case, we will continue to allow repatriation flights either bringing back South Africans stranded in foreign countries or transporting foreign nationals to their home countries.
The current approval procedures to permit departure or landing of such flights remains unchanged.
No scheduled domestic flights will be permitted in Level 4.
Once the alert level moves to Level 3, the limited movement of scheduled domestic flights will be allowed.
It is only when the country’s alert level reaches Level 2, that we will fully open our airspace and allow movement of both domestic and international flights.
"All these Directions we have announced come into effect immediately," Minister Mbalula said.
