The National Road Safety Authority has issued five Regulatory Directives to Commercial Passenger Transport Operators providing Inter-City services excluding 'trotro' operations.

These directives are aimed at improving the quality of service and reducing road traffic crashes and their attendant casualties.

The directives follow recent gory road accidents involving these Commercial Passenger Vehicles which have resulted in loss of lives and serious injuries.

The directives as issued by the NRSA are as follows;

1. All target operators are required to assign two drivers to all trips that are in excess of 8hrs or 500km and to submit a journey plan for all such routes. This is enforceable from April 1st, 2021

2. All Target Operators are required to train their drivers in Defensive Driving in accordance with standards approved by the Authority & DVLA. This is enforceable from July 1st, 2021

3. All Target Operators are required to introduce the use of vehicle log books to help enforce the protocols on maximum driving hours & high speeds. This is enforceable from April 1st, 2021

4. All Target Operators shall be required to appoint Road Safety Officers who shall be responsible for conducting pre-departure checks at all terminals. The Operators shall notify the Authority of the appointment on or before April 1st, 2021. 

5. All Operators providing inter-city services shall fit retro-reflective tapes approved by DVLA on their vehicles in accordance with Regulation 80 of L.I.2180. This shall be enforceable on April 1st, 2021

Consequences for Non-Compliance

According to the NRSA, to ensure enforcement of these directives, Road Safety Inspectors appointed by the Authority shall conduct random and periodic operational audit at target terminals.

All such Transport Operators who fail to comply with these directives issued pursuant to Act 993 shall be subject to the following consequences;

1. Compliance Notice;

2. Suspension of Operations; or

3. Imposition of an Administrative Penalty of between 5,000-20,000 penalty units depending of the nature of the breach and consequences for public safety.

Transport Operators have been directed to call 0501319079 or 0244040615 for clarification on the above directives.