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A passenger opens the Uber app.
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport is calling on all e-hailing app providers to register their apps with the National Transport Department, as mandated by the National Land Transport Amendment Act.
The directive is part of government’s efforts to align national and provincial transport frameworks, and to ensure that all operators comply with the newly implemented e-hailing regulations.
It’s also advised operators to convert their charter permits and meter taxi operating licences to e-hailing operating licences.
The Transport Department’s National Spokesperson, Collen Msibi says e-hailing drivers and operators have been given 180 days to meet all the necessary requirements.
“First of all, for you to get an operating licence, you must have registered with an app company or individual who’s providing an app. So, basically without that, you’re not getting an operating licence. So, R600 is what you have to pay for the operating licence and has nothing to do with the registration of the app. The registration of the app is about R5000 and that’s for seven years, the maximum,” says Msibi.
He says there is a penalty for operators who fail to comply.
“If you don’t follow through and you continue to operate, your car will be impounded. If you’ve got an app that makes you operate yet you don’t have an operating licence, the app company which has given you permission to continue operating will be fined R100,000 or two years in jail.”
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