New E-hailing regulations restrict drivers to specific jurisdictions in South Africa
The Department of Transport has announced that new regulations for e-hailing services will come into effect this Friday
Image: File
The Department of Transport has announced that new regulations for e-hailing services will come into effect on Friday, introducing changes to how drivers operate across South Africa.
The regulations aim to address ongoing safety concerns, improve service quality, and reduce conflicts between e-hailing drivers and the taxi industry.
In an interview on Cape Talk, Department of Transport spokesperson Collen Msibi said some of the new regulations include the requirement for e-hailing drivers to obtain official operating licenses, mandatory branding of vehicles, and compulsory installation of panic buttons in vehicles to enhance safety for both drivers and passengers.
"The biggest issue in terms of regulation is about where they are supposed to be operating. For instance, if a driver picks up a client in Limpopo, they must drop them off there and then return to their jurisdiction".
"They cannot wait around to pick up another passenger and roam outside their area. The jurisdiction will be decided by the provincial regulator based on the application. This is to protect local operators from destructive competition.”.
Msibi added that drivers currently operating under charter permits or metered taxi licenses will need to convert these into the new e-hailing operating licenses once the regulations take effect.
"What it means is that they would have to go and convert their current charter permits and their metered operating permits, so they would have to convert those into their e-hailing operating licenses. So that's basically what it means".
“For provinces like KwaZulu-Natal, which never had any interim dispensation, it means starting afresh, because they didn’t have permits. But others will simply need to convert.”
Msibi also warned that operating e-hailing services without the required licenses or using unregistered apps would be considered illegal and could lead to severe penalties.
“If your app is not registered, you would be regarded as an illegal operator, which comes with fines of up to one hundred thousand rand or even jail time of up to three years"
IOL Business