WC E-hailing Association welcomes additional operating licences for CT

CAPE TOWN - The Western Cape E-hailing Association has welcomed the announcement of additional 1,100 operating licences for e-hailing and metered taxi operators in Cape Town.

After a review of the supply and demand across the metro, the municipality has recommended that more operating licenses be issued to ensure enough rides for commuters.

According to the Western Cape Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE), only 5,494 valid operation licences are currently registered.

The provincial e-hailing association has previously expressed concern over the delays experienced by e-hailing drivers in obtaining operating licences.

The association's general secretary, Omar Parker, said this was a step in the right direction.

"We do welcome the announcement, and I think it was long overdue. However, we are cautiously optimistic about the situation. We will see how things play out.

"There are still some concerns that we have raised, and we are hoping to address those with the city and the PRE in due course."

Parker explained some of the concerns they had: "One of the concerns is the proliferation and the involvement of consultants who are charging some heavy amounts to assist vulnerable drivers to do these applications."

Operators with expired licences must apply between Thursday and the end of June, while new applications will open on 1 July.