If you are thinking of forming a lift club, you should ensure the lift club is legal under the National Land Transport Act 5 of 2009 (NLTA) and the Road Accident Fund (RAF) Act of 1996. It is of course important that both drivers and the vehicles to be used comply with all the normal legalities and conditions in terms of insurance, vehicle licensing, driver licensing and vehicle maintenance. However the following is a summary of what you need to be particularly aware of:

• Lift club drivers can recoup the costs of petrol from their fellow passengers as long as the costs are split evenly and there is no profit involved. If you are charging to make a profit, then you would need to apply for both an operating licence (OL) for your car from your local Public Transport Authority (for more information call 021 483 0294/0218.) You would also have to apply for a Professional Driving Permit (PrDP) at any driving licence testing centre or download forms and information from the electronic national administration traffic information system (eNaTiS). Visit www.enatis.com
  
  
• The NLTA notes in Section 69 on Lift Clubs: “… the requirement that written confirmation from the employer or other documentation must be kept in the vehicle …” According to the NLTA’s Legal Department “other documentation” could also be a letter drawn up by Lift Club members verifying that they are indeed members of the Lift Club.
  
  
• In terms of the RAF, lift clubs fall under the category of “Liability limited in certain cases.” This limits the RAF, under Section 18.1(a), “… to the sum of R25 000 in respect of any bodily injury or death of any one such person who at the time of the occurrence … was being conveyed in or on the motor vehicle concerned … (iv) for the purposes of a lift club…”
  
  
• Requirements relating to insurance must also be in order (as stated in 69(c) of the NLTA. Insurance implications vary from service provider to service provider. If you are providing a vehicle for a lift club, please check requirements according to the insurance company through which you insure yourself and your vehicle. Please also check the terms and conditions should another member of the lift club drive your vehicle.
  
  

Would you like to know more about Lift Clubs? To download the PDF version of the full Travel SMART programme manual please go to useful links.