Operating Licences for E-hailing Drivers in South Africa

E-hailing vehicles need an operating licence. The rules also cover vehicle branding, panic buttons and app registration. Here is what the Department of Transport has said, and what it has not.

Research note Researched and reviewed by the DriverZA editorial team. Facts checked 6 September 2026.

What changed

E-hailing is regulated public transport in South Africa. On 12 September 2025 the Department of Transport gazetted the National Land Transport Amendment Act and the e-hailing regulations for implementation.

Both Uber and Bolt now tell drivers the vehicle needs an operating licence. Bolt puts it plainly: the new e-hailing laws require all vehicle owners to apply for one.

What the regulations require

From the Department of Transport's own statement:

  • An operating licence for the vehicle. E-hailing operators pay the standard operating licence application fee.
  • Branding. Each vehicle should be branded, or carry a sign showing it is an e-hailing vehicle.
  • A panic button fitted in the vehicle, so a passenger can call for help.
  • App registration. All apps must be registered with the regulators.

The statement also gives a penalty aimed at the apps, not the drivers: an app developer who lets someone use their app without an operating licence risks a fine of up to R100,000 or up to two years in jail.

What is still unclear

We would rather tell you what nobody has said than guess at it.

  • When. The Department's statement says the Act and the regulations were gazetted “for implementation”. It gives no commencement date and no transition period.
  • Who applies. The statement talks about vehicle owners and operators. If you drive someone else's car, we could not confirm from the statement who has to hold the licence.
  • Cost and waiting time. The statement says the standard application fee applies but does not give an amount or a processing time.
  • Branding and panic buttons. No specification, deadline or approved supplier is named in the statement.

Operating licences are issued by provincial regulating entities, so the practical answers differ by province. Ask yours before you pay anyone.

If you rent the car

Ask, in writing, who holds the operating licence for that vehicle and who pays if it does not have one. A rental partner that cannot answer that question is a risk you are taking on with your own licence.

Questions people ask

Do I need an operating licence to deliver food?
The e-hailing regulations are about carrying passengers. The Department of Transport statement does not extend them to food or parcel delivery, and none of the delivery companies on this site mentions an operating licence.
When did the new rules start?
The Department of Transport gazetted the amended Act and the e-hailing regulations on 12 September 2025 for implementation. Its statement does not give a commencement date or a transition period, so we cannot tell you the date something became enforceable. Ask your provincial regulating entity.
Does my car really need branding and a panic button?
The Department of Transport statement says each vehicle should be branded or carry an e-hailing sign, and that panic buttons must be installed. It lists no specification or deadline, so check with your provincial regulating entity what is required now.
Can someone sell me an operating licence?
No. Provincial regulating entities issue operating licences. Anyone offering to sell you one, or to get you one quickly for a fee, is worth treating as a scam.

Sources

  • Apply for a professional driving permit, South African Government Government South African Government. Read on 6 September 2026 . Says you need a PrDP to drive goods, dangerous goods or passengers for an income, and that it covers any vehicle that needs an operating licence. Minimum ages: 18 for goods, 21 for passengers, 25 for dangerous goods. Goods vehicles are covered above 3,500kg. You apply at a driving licence testing centre, or online in Gauteng, and the permit may take up to 12 weeks.
  • Bolt driver sign-up requirements Company page Bolt. Read on 6 September 2026 . Lists an email address, a RICA-registered cell number, a smartphone, a valid PrDP, a criminal record check, a head-and-shoulders photo and a cARscan inspection report, and says the new e-hailing laws require all vehicle owners to apply for an operating licence. States no minimum age, no licence code, no identity documents and no insurance requirement.
  • Transport gazettes National Land Transport Amendment Act and e-hailing regulations Government Department of Transport. Published or updated 12 September 2025. Read on 6 September 2026 . Says the amended Act and the e-hailing regulations were gazetted on 12 September 2025 for implementation. E-hailing operators pay a standard operating licence application fee, each vehicle must be branded or carry an e-hailing sign, panic buttons must be fitted, and all apps must be registered with the regulators. An app developer who lets a driver work without an operating licence risks a fine of up to R100,000 or up to two years in jail. The statement gives no commencement date and no transition period.

We last checked this page against its sources on 6 September 2026.