South Africa’s long-awaited e-hailing regulations are finally nearing enforcement, with end-March set as the deadline by the national transport department for their implementation. But the industry is concerned that doesn’t leave sufficient time for them to prepare.
The e-hailing sector has expanded rapidly, outpacing regulatory oversight rules. This has coincided with rising reports of assaults, robberies and intimidation involving criminals, metered taxi operators and longstanding taxi industry conflicts – often rooted in route disputes – that have increasingly drawn in e-hailing drivers.
At the same time, concerns have emerged over drivers’ working conditions, alongside accusations of weak oversight, limited accountability and unfair competition. Regulation is important to standardise operations, promote fairness, reduce crime, and ensure driver and passenger safety.
But regulation that is imposed before the system is ready – platforms and drivers have been given around six months to adhere to the National Land Transport Amendment Act and its amended regulations – risks becoming counterproductive. While national government, provincial governments and platforms, such as Uber and Bolt, are all in agreement that the regulations are needed, there is concern among the platforms that there is not enough time for them or drivers to tick all the boxes.
Another issue is the expense involved in reaching legal requirements and the associated penalties.
The regulations introduce several requirements:
- New e-hailing-specific operating licences for drivers with provincial transport regulators;
- Platform registration with the National Public Transport Regulator (NPTR);
- Vehicle branding;
- Physical panic buttons linked to private security companies; and
- Enforcement mechanisms that include fines of up to R100 000 or two years in jail for app developers who permit users to use their apps without an operating licence.
At a recent media briefing on safety, Bolt estimated the cost for drivers to be around R1 000. According to a notice on fee increases, applications for operating licences cost around R630. However, drivers also have to pay for the panic buttons and the branding.
What is also concerning is the backlog in operating licences. Many drivers, who have been waiting for over a year to receive their operating licences while e-hailing services fell under metered taxis, are not guaranteed to get the new permits on time.
Flashpoints
While some believe that drivers should not have to apply again, transport department spokesman Collen Msibi has told TechCentral that it is up to drivers if they want to pay twice. He argues that most of them want to keep their meter taxi operating licences and apply for the new e-hailing permit.
Companies are also concerned there is no clarity on whether non-compliant drivers will be arrested or their vehicles impounded. E-hailing drivers are not salaried employees. They are individual earners operating in an already precarious economic environment. Impoundments, arrests or fines triggered by administrative failures will threaten livelihoods and exacerbate unemployment, which is precisely the opposite of what regulation should achieve.
Read: The sweeping changes coming to e-hailing in South Africa
Inconsistent enforcement can create flashpoints for conflict between different drivers, which is another thing the regulations are attempting to prevent.
Complications further arise because implementation sits with provinces, and several are not yet ready to enforce the regulations. Companies have also raised concerns about licence caps in provinces such as the Western Cape and the methodologies used to set them.
If provinces are unprepared, platforms cannot comply – and drivers least of all. Uneven enforcement across provinces risks deepening uncertainty, enabling selective policing and escalating tensions in an already volatile transport sector.
At the same time, the transport department has urged companies to register with the National Public Transport Regulator, with Msibi insisting that compliance must come first before any discussion of deadline extensions. He has, however, acknowledged that government will adjust the timelines if necessary.
Read: Bolt steps up ride-hailing security in South Africa
A limited extension will allow platforms to complete NPTR registration properly and provinces to align capacity and processes. Ultimately extending the deadline will not weaken the law but help strengthen it. – © 2026 NewsCentral Media
- The author, Amy Musgrave, is chief sub-editor at TechCentral
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