MEDIA STATEMENT

LOCAL ROAD TRANSPORTATION BOARD MOVES TO PIETERMARITZBURG

As of 1 February 2004 the Local Road Transportation Board (LRTB) will be moved from Durban to Pietermaritzburg in order to streamline services and to provide a better service to the public.

Previously, several delays were experienced due to the volume of permit applications to the Board after the completion of the registration process by the Registrar. The Board had to process 20 000 applications for permits and others were replacing old vehicles. 

In addition to this bus companies have aggressively taken up the challenge to legalise themselves. The process basically required of us to streamline the permit application process. Secondly, to align the administrative processes with the enforcement effort carried out by the Department of Transport. The move to Pietermaritzburg will align the Board, the Permit administration component and the Public Transport Enforcement Unit.

The move of the LRTB offices to Pietermaritzburg is not a centralisation of the process but is aimed at integrating the control measures and administrative processes. In addition to this we are gearing ourselves for the Motor Licensing Bureau offices to be responsible for the processing of permits particularly in the areas of permit conversions, replacement and renewals. The Pietermaritzburg office will be responsible for new applications, which require the full Board for consideration.

The strategy here is to integrate our administrative processes and systems in Pietermartizburg whilst we decentralise the interaction with the operators and commuters in general through the use of Motor Licensing Bureau offices. The move will mean that the offices in Durban will be closed over the next week as from Wednesday the 21st of January until the end of the year. The PTEU will be working closely with the Board and the MLB to ensure that whilst this transition is being completed, it does not have a negative bearing on the public transport operators on the ground.

The department and MEC for Transport, Minister S'bu Ndebele have seen this move as creating the impetus to strengthen the relationships with government and public transport.

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