The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has voiced alarm over persistent illegality in the country’s e-hailing industry. According to the council, delays in finalising the amended National Land Transport Act regulations have left many operators without government-issued permits, a gap that they say is putting commuters at risk.
Santaco spokesperson Rebecca Phala stressed that the absence of proper regulation has coincided with an increase in reported incidents involving e-hailing services. These include hijackings, abductions, and harassment of passengers.
“The current structure of these platforms does not enforce the requirement for these permits, which leads to a flood of unregulated operators within the public transport space. Failure to act swiftly will only deepen the crisis and further compromise commuter safety,” she said.
Santaco has called on authorities to fast-track the implementation of the new regulations to ensure all e-hailing operators are properly vetted, licensed, and compliant with the law.
