For years, e-hailing apps like Uber and Bolt have operated in a legal grey area. That ended in September last year when the National Land Transport Amendment Act (NLTA) finally classified e-hailing as a recognised form of public transport.

However, according to the National Department of Transport, this creates a ‘dependency chain’ that is currently stalled. 

Daily Maverick notes that drivers cannot legalise their operations until the e-hailing companies themselves register with the National Public Transport Regulator.

‘Providers who are not registered with the regulator will not appear in the databases maintained by the provincial regulators. Consequently, this will impact e-hailing operators seeking to apply for an operating licence,’ the department said in a media statement in November.

With an 11 March 2026 deadline looming, the department has warned that the ‘snail’s pace’ of compliance could soon render thousands of drivers ‘automatically illegal’.

As of 6 February 2026, the regulator had received just 10 registration applications from platforms, and zero had been finalised.

According to the Act, app developers who permit users to use their platforms without an operating licence risk a fine of up to R100 000 or up to two years in jail.

Beyond the administrative overhaul, the new framework serves as a long overdue response to a track record of violence within the sector.

For years, the industry has been scarred by reports of kidnappings, assaults, and hijackings, leaving both commuters and drivers vulnerable.

DM notes that the department has been clear that these mandates are designed to curb this crisis; according to the National Department of Transport, the legislation ‘ushers in a new service type’ that prioritises ‘high quality and security standards’ to protect the public.

The Act requires panic buttons to be installed in e-hailing vehicles.

These buttons must be hard-wired and linked directly to law enforcement or private security.

Full Daily Maverick report