Is your Uber ride legal? What passengers should check before getting in

Here are the checks passengers should make before getting into an Uber or other e-hailing vehicle.

For many South Africans, opening an e-hailing app and getting into a car has become part of everyday life.

But new rules governing the industry mean passengers should be paying closer attention to the vehicle and driver picking them up.

The question now is not just whether an Uber ride appears on the app or not.

Passengers should also check whether the vehicle and driver are operating within the legal requirements for e-hailing services.

This comes as South Africa tightens regulation of the e-hailing industry, with questions having been raised over the compliance of major platforms, including Uber.

In September 2025, the National Department of Transport gazetted amendments to the National Land Transport Act and regulations formally recognising e-hailing as a category of public transport.

The regulations require e-hailing operators to have valid operating licences, while e-hailing platforms must also be registered with the National Public Transport Regulator (NPTR).

The Western Cape Parliament said in May 2026 that the six-month period for platform registration had ended on March 11, with Bolt registered before the deadline, while Uber was still to be registered at that stage. It also said operating licences could only be converted once the relevant platform provider had been registered.

However, the Department of Transport subsequently confirmed that it had received an application from Uber South Africa Services for registration as an e-hailing platform provider. The application was submitted after the March deadline.

For passengers, the regulatory dispute raises a practical question: How do you know whether the Uber arriving to collect you is the vehicle you should actually get into?

The simplest and most important check is to compare the vehicle arriving at your pickup point with the information displayed in the Uber app.

Uber itself advises riders to check the vehicle's licence plate number, make and model before getting into the car.

The driver's name and photograph should also correspond with the person behind the wheel.