Uber a big step closer to being fully regulated in South Africa
Parliament has officially passed the National Land Transport Amendment Bill, which among other amendments, seeks to regulate ride-sharing services in the country.
Originally published for public comment in 2013, the bill has seen a number of changes made since its inception including the amendment of the definition of a “metered taxi service” to cater for electronic hailing (e-hailing) services in the country.
Effectively this means that the e-hailing drivers will be treated no differently from other metered taxi drivers across South Africa – including the requirement that each driver will require their own operating license.
The amendments also allow for the minister of transport (Blade Nzimande) to make additional regulations for e-hailing services – including possible changes to the smartphone app to allow for a clearer idea of who exactly is driving the vehicle, the route it is taking and how much it will cost.
The bill will now be sent to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) for concurrence, and then signed into law by president Cyril Ramaphosa.
In an interview with the Financial Mail in March, GM for Uber sub-Saharan Africa Alon Lits, said that the amendments should have little affect on the company’s current operations in the country.
“Contrary to perceptions, Uber drivers are licensed and regulated in the same way as metered taxis,” Lits said.
“The new rules won’t really change anything [in practice] as metered-taxi operating licences are already given to Uber drivers with the understanding that they will be using ride-hailing technology,” he said.
The conflict between e-hailing and metered-taxi drivers has been a serious point of concern for both government and Uber over the last year, with a number of drivers attacked and killed in the time period.
The issue escalated to the point where Uber published a list of 15 ‘no-go zones’ in July last year, where it would not pick up or drop off riders due to the ongoing clashes.
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