• Ntate Digasho, 67, drives a scholar transport taxi in Lenasia and earns R5,000 monthly from 28 learners at R150 each.

• Digasho says overloading happens because costs exceed R20,000 monthly, though more than 800 schoolchildren died in transport accidents since 2018.

Ntate Digasho switched to scholar transport driving in his early twenties. He left his factory job where he earned R350 per week.

"It wasn't enough to support my wife and six children," he said.

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While on a train, he spoke with a man who was looking for a scholar transport driver. He took the job immediately.

"I earned R2,000 per month, which was a lot of money then," Digasho said.

Over the years, he bought a Siyaya taxi. He charged R150 per learner each month.

"I had a load of about 28 children, especially in primary school. That's nearly R5,000. I drove my own taxi and took more money home," he said.

But R5,000 is now too little even for one person. Digasho took out a loan to buy a Quantum.

"An additional vehicle comes with extra cost. I must pay the driver, the car instalment and insurance. That's more than R20,000," he said.

He pours R1,800 worth of petrol for each vehicle per week.

"These expenses have led us as drivers to overload our minibus taxis," Digasho said.

Drivers prefer primary school children because of their size.

"Because of the high cost of living, we overload learners to make profit. As drivers we prefer primary school children because they are smaller in body size and they can squeeze on each other," he said.

Fuel and diesel prices are expected to drop by R1.15 per litre for petrol and R1.63 per litre on 5 February.

"It doesn't make a difference because there's still car servicing, oil and car wash," Digasho said.

Research shows more than 800 schoolchildren died in scholar transport-related accidents across South Africa between 2018 and 2022.

"I'm not condoning it, but this is why we end up overloading," Digasho said.