New requirement for inDrive, Uber, and Bolt drivers in Gauteng to identify if they are foreign nationals

Gauteng wants e-hailing companies operating in the province to require their drivers to register on the Public Transport Administration System (GIPTAS).

GIPTAS is a database required by the Public Transport Inspectorate, which is used by the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) to manage its public transport operations, routes, and conflicts.

It is also used to regulate the issuance of public transport licences, including ones for e-hailing drivers working on apps like Bolt, Uber, and inDrive.

South Africa has been tightening its regulations on the e-hailing industry to address concerns over safety and service quality, and to prevent conflicts between e-hailing drivers and minibus taxi groups.

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the National Land Transport Amendment Act (NLTAA), Act 23 of 2023, into law, introducing new regulations and requirements for ride-hailing apps and their operators.

It formally recognises e-hailing as a category within South Africa’s public transport sector, which means it has to comply with the country’s laws and operational conditions.

App-based drivers are required to be licensed, and their cars must now be clearly branded with the service they operate on. They must also install mandatory panic buttons in their vehicles.

Ashif Black, the country representative for InDrive South Africa, told our sister publication MyBroadband that the GPG has begun approaching e-hailing operators in the past month.

It was revealed that the government has had several meetings with e-hailing companies to ensure compliance through a multi-phase process.

The first phase, to register e-hailing companies and issue licences, is wrapping up, and the next step is to register the country’s hundreds of thousands of e-hailing drivers.

“We’ve had hostings of different government agencies just to understand the new digital system that will be used to process driver’s licenses,” said Black.

“Just a bit of data sharing and how we will be participating in the digitisation and registration for our drivers on our platform.”

E-hailing drivers need to register – including foreign nationals

Black explained that the GPG wants to expand its database of e-hailing drivers, who are required to register using their personal details. This registration is part of their official licencing process and complies with provincial by-laws

He noted that drivers have to register with “key licensing documents,” including their vehicle registration, professional driving permit, and ID number.

Foreigners who do not have ID numbers will need to register with their Traffic Register Number (TRN), which will allow the province to track the number of foreign nationals working as e-hailing drivers.

A TRN is a system-generated profile in the country’s national road traffic registry (eNaTIS) for motorists who do not have a South African ID number.

It allows foreigners to apply for professional driving permits, take driver’s tests, convert their existing driver’s licences, and register cars in their name.

According to inDrive, the GPG has only just begun to register e-hailing drivers operating in the province, and a deadline has yet to be established.

Black explained that the government wants to set a deadline, but that the e-hailing sector is already struggling to comply with other regulations, resulting in delays and backlogs.