The Western Cape departments of Education, Transport and Public Works have appealed to public transport operators to help ensure that matric candidates get to their exam centres on time.
In a joint statement, they said: “Many of these candidates rely solely on public transport to make it to their examination venue each day.
“With ongoing reports of Metrorail trains being delayed, cancelled or set alight, it is a concern that there is a possibility that some matric candidates will not reach their examination venues on time.
“Candidates may be admitted into an examination room provided they arrive within one hour of the exam starting - however, a pupil arriving within the one-hour period will still have to complete the exam by the same time as other candidates.
"That is if there is a three-hour exam and a candidate arrives 30 minutes late, then the candidate will have only two-and-a-half hours to complete the examination. Arriving late will ultimately put the candidate at a disadvantage.”
Education MEC Debbie Schäfer encouraged matric candidates to be mindful of the fact that public transport can be unreliable and to ensure that they leave home earlier to make up for any possible delays.
Grant said: “I am appealing to all of our public transport partners, the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco), Metrorail, Golden Arrow Bus Services and MyCiTi, to take the necessary steps to ensure that pupils travelling to and from their examinations are not disrupted in any way during this crucial time.
“Recent unrest within the Cape public transport network has been detrimental to commuters.
‘‘We must work together to prevent any unnecessary disruption to our pupils during this time. We are committed to working closely with our partners to provide the necessary support to make sure that no pupil is prejudiced.”
For information on all public transport, commuters can call the transport for Cape Town Information centre at 0800 656 463 (toll-free from a landline).
They can also contact www.capemetrorail.co.za or www.gometro.mobi or on twitter @CapeTownTrains for train schedules and updates.