The Franschhoek Wine Tram hop-on hop-off tour is one way to discover the true essence of the Franschhoek Valley – picturesque vineyards, breath-taking scenery, warm hospitality, world-class cuisine, fine wines and a 300 year history.
Passengers aboard the hop-on hop-off tour experience a unique and leisurely way to see the Franschhoek Valley as they journey through rolling vineyards in a double-decker tram and open-air tram-bus stopping in at some of South Africa’s oldest and most distinguished wine estates.
A combination of tram and tram-bus transports passengers around a loop of stops allowing them to hop-off at each stop and experience the activities on offer, be it wine tasting, a cellar tour, lunch or simply a stroll through the vineyards and when they are ready, hop-on to continue the tour.
At it's start the tram and tour bus service of the Franschhoek Wine Tram was repeatedly halted when the company’s buses were stopped by traffic officials of the local municipality for failing to keep a passenger list. David Blyth, the owner of the company, contacted the Red Tape Reduction Unit (RTRU), as he was of the opinion that the company was being targeted and treated unfairly by the traffic department.
Although Franschhoek Wine Tram possessed operating licences for all its buses, traffic officials patrolling the area insisted that the company was breaching the licence conditions due to the absence of a passenger list.
The Unit contacted the head of the traffic department as well as the chairperson of the Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE) and arranged a meeting to be attended by them and Mr Blyth. The Unit discovered that PRE had mistakenly inserted the passenger list requirement in the conditions when it granted the company its operating permits. The PRE undertook to remove the requirement with immediate effect.
In addition, it agreed to waive the requirement, in terms of the PRE’s standard operating procedure, that the vehicles concerned must be presented for inspection at the PRE’s premises at Vangate, Athlone, as this would have severe financial consequences for the company, which would have to withdraw all vehicles from operation for a day.
Instead, the municipality’s confirmation that all the vehicles had recently been found to be in roadworthy condition would be taken into account, and the PRE would re-issue the licences with the contested condition omitted and dispatch one of its inspectors to inspect the vehicles and deliver the licences to Mr. Blyth.
The fines were withdrawn and the PRE issued new licences, saving Franschhoek Wine Tram massive costs. The amended licences were in line with the "hop-on hop-off" service offered by Franschhoek Wine Tram, which can now offer its unique service to local and foreign tourists without the fear that its vehicles will again be subjected to reputation-damaging and frustrating stops, inspections and fines, which have threatened to bring its business to a grinding halt.
Later the business again contacted the unit in order to assist with issues they were having with the approval of road signage required to ensure the safe operation of the vehicles.
The business while being in operation for a number of years was formally launched by MEC Alan Winde on 7 December 2017. The Red Tape Reduction was thanked by the owner and Operations Manager for the assistance provided to date. The business employs 40 people and has thousands of visitors per month.