Mpumalanga - Fifty Putco buses were impounded on Moloto Road by the Mpumalanga Public Transport Inspectorate on Tuesday, the Road Traffic Management Corporation said.
“We are beginning to see a trend that many of the big operators are flouting the law by operating defective vehicles or vehicles without a permit,” acting chief executive Collins Letsoalo said in a statement.
“They are playing with the lives of our people and it is unacceptable.”
Last Monday, 19 people were killed when a Putco bus driver lost control of the vehicle on the R59 outside Meyerton, in the Vaal Triangle. It crashed through a bridge railing and fell 10 metres to the ground, landing on its side.
Fifty-five people were injured, three of them critically.
The bus was reportedly among eight Putco buses taken off the road after it failed a June 12 roadworthy test at the Meyerton testing station.
Eighteen of the 50 Putco buses impounded on Tuesday did not have necessary permits, while the other 32 were found to be defective.
Another 19 luxury buses and minibuses were removed from KwaZulu-Natal roads because they had defective brakes.
Of these, three buses belonged to SA Roadlink, two to Eldo Coaches, three to Intercape, one to Intercity and one to City-to-City.
Letsoalo said: “We have communicated with all our provincial and metropolitan traffic authorities to ensure that they (defective bus operators) are detected, prosecuted and exposed.” - Sapa