One school has already taken up the Automobile Association on its offer of free roadworthy tests for buses and more are lined up after last week's fatal crash in Cape Town.
Three pupils from Dennegeur Avenue Primary School in Strandfontein - Shavonne Beck, Angelique Johnson and Brent Stander - and bus driver André Lemmetjies were killed and 40 others injured in Thursday's crash on Kloof Nek Road.
Westcott Primary in Diep River asked bus company Elwierda to test the three buses they will use for a school trip.
One bus had front brakes that were found to be "low", but Elwierda owner Milton Henriksen confirmed on Monday that the problem had been rectified.
Henriksen thinks testing a bus's roadworthiness should be more than an annual occurrence.
AA Test and Drive Centre director Greg Tourell said the offer was open-ended.
Tourell said the mandatory annual roadworthy test was not sufficient. The checks should be done at least twice a year, or preferably after a certain mileage had been covered.
He said that over the past 15 years he had worked at the centre, he had had very few requests to check the roadworthiness of buses used to transport school children.
On Monday he had three requests for checks from schools and a dozen phone messages asking him to return calls to discuss the offer.
"Principals probably never thought that it was their responsibility. Considering that it costs R24 000 in licensing a bus, one would think at that cost the buses would be regularly tested (by the companies)," said Tourell.
On Monday Education MEC Cameron Dugmore visited the centre as the first three buses were inspected.
Dugmore said he was overwhelmed by the offer since it was a national one.
He said he was contemplating taking the AA up on the offer for an internal roadworthy audit of all the buses the provincial education department contracts to transport almost 60 000 school children every day.
He said tender requirements for doing business with the department were stringent but there had been localised incidents involving buses and other issues, which were being investigated.
While the department of transport and public works will investigate last week's crash, he was contemplating a broader enquiry into the bus transport scheme.
- People who want to contribute to the families' costs can make a donation at any Pick 'n Pay, using the Easy Pay number 960400707830476, or they can deposit money into the Standard Bank Promenade branch, branch code 026 609, account number 657 621 544.