At the beginning of June, South Africa moved to Alert Level 3 in its Risk-Managed approach to the COVID-19 crisis. This means that new travel regulations were put in place. Since travel is Highway Bakkie Hire’s area of speciality, we present this quick guide to the new travel restrictions, keeping in mind that they could change at any time.

3 Travel Regulations You Should Know About it

There are plenty of regulations that apply to travellers who are using public transport. We won’t address these in this blog, however, and will stick to rules that pertain to motorists.

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1. Restricted Interprovincial & Inter-metro Travel

Perhaps the most notable amendment to travel restrictions at Level 3 is that certain provisions have been made for movements in provinces and metros. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that you can just get in a car and drive to visit friends or family in the next city or over the provincial border. Travel between provinces and metropolitan areas is actually still prohibited at this stage. The regulation only allows this kind of travel for work, and motorists and other commuters are required to have permits to prove their right to move over across municipal and provincial borders.

2. Extension for Licences

Vehicle owners – both private and commercial – have been given a 90-day extension on the renewal of licences as of 1 June. This means that, even if your car licence expired at the beginning of the lockdown, you have another 90 days from the beginning of June to do your renewal.

3. Curfew Lifted

The curfew that was in place during Level 4 has now been lifted. This means that people can move around at any time of day. However, you still need to be able to explain your reasons for being out and about if you are stopped by the police. Even though there is no curfew preventing you from being on the road at 2 AM, you still need to have a legal reason to be travelling at that time. Acceptable explanations would probably be limited to only things like medical emergencies. During business hours, of course, you have a great deal more room to move, as things like work and shopping would constitute valid reasons for being on the road.

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How do the Regulations Affect Car Rentals?

Since interprovincial and inter-metro travel is strictly limited, rental companies would mostly be restricted to renting vehicles to people from within their own metropolitan areas. There are exceptions, however. Domestic air travel has been allowed for work purposes. This means that people taking flights between provinces can rent vehicles in their destination cities. Rental companies like Highway Bakkie Hire, therefore, are open to provide short and long-term rentals for incoming travellers. In line with the new COVID-19 health and safety standards, we conduct extremely rigorous sanitation procedures to ensure that rental vehicles are safe for our customers.

The current restrictions are likely to change shortly as the country moves up to Level 2 and Level 1. We will keep you updated in future blogs.

Highway Bakkie Hire is Here to Assist Through This Unique Period

Looking for a good, reliable vehicle for your next business trip to KwaZulu-Natal? Contact Highway Bakkie Hire and let us provide a reliable car at highly competitive rates.

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