Please note: I wrote this article way back in 2006, before I was diagnosed with ADHD. It was one of the happiest times of my life. It was published by Business Warriors.
Tourism is a great career for those with ADHD. Every day is different, you meet many interesting people and get to travel to interesting places.
My passion is to be behind the wheel of my HappySnaps Tour bus and show people the wonderful country we live in. This does not pay the bills so I indulge my other passion Technology Training specifically in the area of computer office and accounting skills for small businesses.
So You Want To Run A Small Tourist Operator Business?
You will need:
- A sense of humour
- Infinite Patience
- Start off with a lot of money - soon you will have very little.
- A love of bureaucracy
- A passion for your country and people (well it does help if you can survive the process.)
- Oh did I mention a sense of humour and infinite patience?
It all sounds so exciting to be out all day in your little bus chatting away happily to your friendly tourists who are going to tip you well at the end of a great day.Just follow the steps and you too can be one of us!
1. You need to be a Registered Tourist Guide for the areas you want to operate in. Sign up with a suitably accredited training provider. Budget R5000.00 (all prices quoted in this article were valid in 2006.)
2. Mine was a truly worthwhile experience. History, Geography, Flora, Fauna, Cultural Groupings, Guiding Techniques, Wine Appreciation, etc. The excitement is mounting. You do the research, have fun on the practical outings, write a pretty stiff comprehensive exam, do the exam pracs and suddenly you are qualified.
3. Oops - forgot to mention that before you can practise you need to have a Level 1 First Aid qualification. Budget 3 days and R500.00. This is valid for 3 years.
4. Now with these bits of paper toddle off to the Tourist Guide Registration Authorities, fill in some forms, pay R250.00 and wait for the badge in the post. This is valid for 2 years.
Now you can work as a Tourist Guide in your designated areas. But if you want to be independent and drive your own tourists the fun really starts.(Please bear in mind that this is the same process that all our Minibus Taxi Drivers go through if they operate legally!) You need:
Points 1 - 6 above plus:
1. A suitable vehicle (well of course you do!)
2. A Public Driving Permit
3. An Operating Licence
4. Adequate Passenger Liability Insurance - R5M minimum.(R10M recommended)
You do:
The Vehicle
If you don't already own a vehicle, don't rush out and buy one until your application for an Operating Licence has been approved. Don't operate illegally because if you get caught the fine is around R6000.00 and if you have an accident with foreign tourists on board - need I say more?
The Public Driving Permit (PDP)
1. The Public Driving Permit - this is for you to be able to drive passengers. It is a "people permit" not a "vehicle permit" - Budget R300.00
2. Go to your local licensing department, get the forms including a Police Clearance Form. Get photos, go to the Police Station, they will take fingerprints and send off the form to find out whether you have been convicted of an offence in the last 5 years. Two weeks later collect the duly approved Police Clearance Form, go back to the licensing dept, have an eye test, pay some more money and wait for the new licence to arrive.
This process took me 2 months.
The Operating Licence
1. Start this process as soon as possible. It took me almost 8 months and can take much longer but certainly not much less.
2. You need to visit your Provincial Transport Department and obtain the relevant form. Complete this form very carefully (get advice from someone who has done it before or it can be 5 months before you are notified of mistakes and start the process all over again). State the exact number of seats your vehicle can / or will accommodate. If this changes you need to start again!
3. Once completed, take the forms + proof of being a taxpayer in good standing + R25.00 to the Transport department. Ooh - remember to take a book, as it will be a few hours of entertainment. The offices are full of taxi head honchos who have little regard for the queuing system and if you don't join the fray you will be there all day.
4. After such exertion go for a sundowner and relax. 90 days later (if you are lucky) your application will be published in the Govt Gazette. 21 days are allowed for objections to be lodged and if you have said anything about doing airport transfers or personal collections / drop offs the local taxi associations will automatically object.
5. A couple of weeks later you will receive a letter summonsing you to appear before the Board to motivate why you should be allowed to operate such a business. I was number 30 out of 75 applications being heard that day. Now you really get to put into practise your grovelling skills.
6. Six Board Members sit on a raised platform and your application and any objections are read out to all that are present (including your fellow applicants). You stand in front of the Board and present your case and are grilled as to why, what and how you plan to run your business.
7. It is often at this point that you are told that there are problems with your application and that it must be modified/corrected and re- advertised. Go back to step 2 and start again.
8. If you don't have to start again, go home, bite your nails, have a few drinks and wait another couple of weeks to see if you have been approved.
9. Congratulations you have been approved - now is the time to buy that vehicle or get the one you already have correctly registered and prepared.
The vehicle (spend as much as you want!)
1. Remember the vehicle must have exactly the number of seats you applied for in your licence.
2. The vehicle must be registered as a commercial vehicle - it has a different licence disk.
3. The vehicle must have air-conditioning, a fire extinguisher, and emergency exit signage and be suitably comfortable for carrying picky tourists.
4. Insurance - You need special commercial insurance with a minimum of R5M passenger liability plus separate driver / guide insurance.
5. If you don't want the signage that the taxi drivers have on their front doors giving contact details, apply for a partial exemption. Remember the vehicle must be registered in the name of the person in whose name the operating licence is issued. You can have separate signage with your logos and advertising in addition to the legal stuff.
6. Once you have the vehicle ready, take it back to the Transport Board with all the documents proving you are the owner, it is properly insured, your PDP and they will do an inspection.
7. Assuming it passes muster, go home for another couple of weeks to relax. Do however remember to phone once a day to see if the permit has been typed up yet and when it has remain sober until you have been to collect it.
Survived all that? Now you can start marketing your tourism business. Another thrilling experience.
PS. This was my experience in the Western Cape. Other provinces may have different procedures.
PPS.