# 71,000 Western Cape learners at risk as bus operators strike over fuel

> School transport operators in the Western Cape have suspended a strike pending Friday talks with the education department over soaring diesel costs.
- Title: 71,000 Western Cape learners at risk as bus operators strike…
- Summary: School transport operators in the Western Cape have suspended a strike pending Friday talks with the education department over soaring diesel costs. Western…
- Keywords: western cape, school transport, bus operators, fuel costs, learners, strike action, education department, news, politics, 000, Western, Cape
- Source: Daily Maverick — https://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-09-school-transport-crisis-puts-71000-western-cape-learners-at-risk-as-fuel-costs-soar
- Author: Velani Ludidi
- Published: 2026-10-09T12:56:30+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: western cape, school transport, bus operators, fuel costs, learners, strike action, education department, news, politics
## Strike halts school transport
School bus operators in the Western Cape suspended a one-day strike on Tuesday over rising fuel costs. Almost twenty-two thousand learners were affected during the action.
## Diesel prices surge eighty percent
Diesel prices rose from seventeen point sixty nine rand a litre in January to thirty one point eighty rand a litre on Wednesday, making diesel eighty percent more expensive.
## Operators demand contract review
Bus operators want the Western Cape Education Department to review existing contracts to account for increased fuel costs. They say continuing under current arrangements is no longer viable.

> We cannot continue operating indefinitely at a financial loss while fuel and other operating costs continue to rise.
## Seventy one thousand learners at stake
The Western Cape Education Department spends six hundred ninety eight million rand a year transporting more than seventy one thousand learners each school day. All could be affected if Friday talks fail.
## Matrics face exam disruption
The strike comes as learners prepare for final examinations. Matrics begin writing final exams from Tuesday next week, making every school day critical for their preparation.
## Rural families hit hardest
Children living on farms and in remote settlements depend on organised transport to reach school. Unlike urban learners with access to multiple transport options, rural families face difficult choices.
## Hunger and dropouts feared
Some children get their only meals from school. Wendy Pekeur, founder of the Ubuntu Rural Women and Youth Movement, warned that disruptions threaten to deepen educational disadvantages and increase dropouts.

> Rural children and farm worker children are already confronted with many challenges due to their marginalisation and isolation.
## Friday meeting will decide
The SA National Small Bus Operators Council in the Western Cape will meet the education department on Friday. The outcome will determine whether children return to school or face further disruption.
## Key takeaway

Western Cape school bus operators suspended a one-day strike on Tuesday affecting 22,000 learners, demanding contract reviews to cover rising fuel costs ahead of Friday talks with the education department.