Ban on modifying vehicles baffles
Prohibition 'will sever jobs'
October 16, 2009
By Roy Cokayne
Confusion is rife in the motor and transport industries over the Department of Transport's plans to introduce a blanket prohibition on the conversion of goods vehicles into passenger-carrying minibuses.
If implemented, the prohibition is likely to lead to job losses and business closures in the vehicle body builder and converter industry.
It will also lead to a rise in the price of vehicles on the department's approved list of vehicles for the taxi recapitalisation programme that are converted locally by Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen (VW), Iveco, Fiat and Nissan, but will have to be imported fully built-up.
The planned prohibition was communicated to transport industry stakeholders in a letter dated September 25, signed by the Department of Transport's acting chief director road traffic regulations John Motsatsing.
But most of the contents of the letter were apparently withdrawn during an urgent meeting between transport industry stakeholder representatives and the department last week, and a follow-up meeting is scheduled for next week.
Attempts to obtain comment from the department have been unsuccessful despite of list of questions e-mailed to the department's officials on Tuesday.
The proposed prohibition appears to be a reaction to the outcry earlier this year over the safety and roadworthiness of panel vans that had been illegally converted into taxis.
The department's letter, advising transport stakeholders about the proposed prohibition, stated that a provision would be added to the national road traffic regulations under the National Road Traffic Act "to prohibit the conversion of the motor vehicles homologated and introduced to the Natis system as good vehicles into passenger-carrying minibuses".
Jeff Osborne, the chief executive at the Retail Motor Industry Organisation, of which the SA Vehicle and Body Builders Association (Savaba) is a member, said that the prohibition would cause job loss and business closures, while swelling the cost of cars to the taxi industry.
Osborne said Savaba representatives met officials of the department last week, which led to the department withdrawing with immediate effect administrative steps that prevented the legal registration of legally converted cars and caused confusion.
Ian Charlton, a former manager at the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS), now a consultant to road transport entities, said it was clear there had been serious problems with people converting vehicles without due care for the law or any overriding control.
But it would be foolish to prohibit conversions that were done with the support of the manufacturer or by people who knew what they were doing.
Charlton said that reasonable people should be able to get together and correct the systems and procedures that were inadequate to eradicate malpractices.
This was rather than prohibiting everyone from engaging in vehicle conversions, which interpreted into business opportunities for smaller firms and provided employment for many people.
Nicolai Berger, a manager at Mercedes-Benz South Africa, said the confusion among dealers, body builders and converters over the proposed ban was "huge", but the firm had spoken to the department and was given assurance that Sprinter minibuses and Mercedes-Benz would be unaffected.
However, Berger said the effect on the body building industry and converters would be huge if the prohibition was implemented.
Berger said there would be heavy-duty implications if it had to import Sprinter minibuses from abroad, resulting in the vehicle becoming more expensive and affecting the commuters.
If taxi operators opted for cheaper models, all it would achieve was to compromise road safety, he said.
Bill Stephens, a VW SA spokesperson, added that the VW Crafter range and conversion was homologated and conformed to the specifications of the taxi recapitalisation programme.
The vehicle maker did not see any reason it could not continue with conversions that fully complied with all safety requirements.
Homologation is the process used by the SABS to ensure a specific model complies with the national standards for that type of vehicle.
Clynton Yon, a spokesperson for Fiat Auto SA, said it converted certain models within the Fiat Ducato range in strict accord with homologated SABS standards and the company's preference would obviously be for the legislation on passenger-carrying vehicles not to be promulgated.
This was because it would have major cost implications for the end-user.
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