Gauteng parents rejoice as scholar transport services resume for over 200,000 learners

Gauteng parents say they are relieved that pupils will return to school next Monday after the Department of Education announced it had resolved with service providers, following the suspension of school buses that left more than 200,000 learners at home.

Gauteng MEC of Education Matome Chiloane confirmed on Tuesday that outstanding invoices from November 2025 will be processed and paid by the end of this week.

The announcement comes after frustrated parents and learners across the province took to the streets to protest. 

They blockaded roads with burning tyres after scholar transport operators halted services over months of unpaid fees, leaving thousands of learners unable to get to school.

The protest followed a decision by scholar transport operators to stop operating due to non-payment by the department.

The action, which began last week, disrupted schooling for thousands of learners across the province.

A frustrated parent, Minah Khunuo, 31, from Honeydew, said the problem started when children went to their usual bus stops and the buses were nowhere to be found. 

Her child, a Grade 9 learner at St Ansgar’s Combined School in Lanseria, was among those affected.

“It all started last week on Monday. When they arrived at the bus stops, they were told the buses were not operating,” she said.

“The principal then told us parents that all children using scholar transport should stay home until the issue was addressed.”

Khunuo said the disruption had affected learners.

“It has really affected learners a lot because now they have to stay at home for two weeks and not do anything. They have really lost a lot of days they should have covered in their curriculum,” she said.

She added that she hoped the problem would not happen again.

“Even though the department said this has been addressed, we hope it doesn’t happen again. It really affects learners, especially those in Grade 12, because being in Grade 12 is demanding. When buses are not operating, it will affect their performance very badly,” Khunuo said.

Another parent, Caroline Mboniswa, 38, from Marikana informal settlement in Vanderbijlpark, said her two children were also unable to go to school.

Her seven-year-old son, who attends Barrage Primary School, and her 15-year-old daughter in Grade 10 at Ramosukula Secondary School, were both affected.

She expressed concern about the impact on her son, describing him as a slow learner.

“He takes time to catch up. Every time at school, he is the last one to grasp things. So, not going to school will affect him very badly,” she said.

Her daughter is also struggling with Mathematical Literacy and wished she could be at school to learn more.

“They were told not to come to school using scholar transport, but those living closer were able to attend,” Mboniswa said.

“We hope this doesn’t happen again because it really affects our learners and makes them fall behind in their school work.”

On Tuesday, Chiloane provided an update following a meeting between the department and representatives of scholar transport service providers. 

The meeting was part of ongoing efforts to stabilise the Scholar Transport Programme and restore uninterrupted access to education for learners across the province.

He said the meeting involved associations representing about 250 contracted scholar transport service providers, operating roughly 3,600 buses and transporting around 238,000 learners daily.

“The engagement followed the suspension of services by some operators and was aimed at urgently resolving the impasse that had left learners unable to attend school through the scholar transport programme,” he said.

“The discussions were extensive and frank, with all parties acknowledging that continued disruption of learner transport was untenable and not in the best interest of learners, parents, or communities.”

Chiloane said the engagement resulted in a shared commitment to normalise services while outstanding matters are addressed through the appropriate administrative and financial processes.

He said service providers raised concerns, some of which fell outside the department’s mandate and were referred to other relevant departments. 

Matters within the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) remit were resolved, including the processing of outstanding invoices for November 2025 by the end of the week, Chiloane said.

Other resolutions included agreements on processes for learner verification and confirmation of transported learners, including clarity on the current paper-based forms and the Department’s move towards a digital system.

He said following these resolutions, scholar transport operators committed to a phased resumption of services, considering logistical challenges from the earlier suspension, including the temporary removal of vehicles for safety reasons. 

According to him, full operations across the province are expected to resume on Monday, 16 February 2026.

Chiloane said schools have been instructed to implement catch-up programmes from 16 February to mitigate learning time lost during the transport disruption.

“Schools have been advised to use appropriate academic recovery measures to ensure teaching and learning remain on track,” he said.

Acknowledging the frustration experienced by learners, parents, and communities, Chiloane emphasised that disruption of scholar transport services is taken seriously.

“We are encouraged by the progress made and remain confident that the resolutions reached will lead to the full normalisation of scholar transport services across Gauteng, ensuring that learner safety, dignity, and access to education are protected at all times,” he said.

[email protected]

IOL News