Chartered coach operator, ProTours, has confirmed the closure of its Centurion and Cape Town depots.

The decision had been made based on the ongoing financial impact of the national lockdown, said National Sales and Marketing Manager, Ntsako Nkuna. She told Tourism Update that with the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) payments coming to an end – and the ongoing uncertainty of the industry’s future – the decision had to be made.

“We are not hiding this from anyone and we have explained to all of our clients,” said Nkuna. She did not rule out the possibility of a recovery company being established but could not elaborate further.

The chartered transport industry has received little support from government during this time. According to CEO of Cullinan Transport, Geert van Doorn, the Southern African Bus Operators Association had met with Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, to discuss the waiving of penalties on late licence renewals for fleet vehicles.

This point was also raised by Chairperson of the Private Chartered Coach Association, Fiona Brooke-Leggatt, who indicated that penalty fees were only waived from April to June, providing little relief to the many coach operators who would renew licences in July.

Nkuna mentioned that when ProTours renewed licences on its vehicles, penalties were definitely applied, which was another extra cost the company did not bank on having.

ProTours is one of the many large operators in the chartered transport industry who are facing difficulty.  Van Doorn told Tourism Update that Cullinan Transport was having to cut back dramatically to sustain the business.