Gauteng Transport Warns Taxi Operators: Collect Licences by August 14 or Face Cancellation

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has issued a stern warning to over 400 minibus taxi and scholar transport operators in the province to collect their operating licences by August 14 or risk having them cancelled.

According to the department, more than 400 valid operating licences remain uncollected despite significant progress in reducing backlogs and improving internal processes to speed up the issuing of licences. The warning applies particularly to minibus taxi and scholar transport operators who have already applied for and been issued operating licences but have not yet collected them.

Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela urged operators not to delay collecting their licences. 'We are calling on applicants, particularly minibus and scholar transport operators, to collect their operating licences. 'We encourage them to collect their operating licences without delay, so they can continue to operate legally and contribute to safer roads across Gauteng,' Diale-Tlabela said.

The department said operators who have received SMS notifications or communication through their associations have until midway through next month to collect their operating licences. It warned that failure to do so could result in the cancellation of the issued operating licence, forcing operators to restart the application process in accordance with applicable legislation.

Since November 2025, the department has prioritised the issuing of operating licences to qualifying public transport operators as part of the department's commitment to reducing the backlog and ensuring compliant operators are able to operate legally. According to the department, more than 2,000 valid operating licences have been handed over to compliant minibus taxi and scholar transport operators during this period.

The department remains committed to strengthening regulatory compliance and improving the efficiency of the public transport system in Gauteng. Operating licences are essential to ensuring public transport operators are legally authorised to provide services while contributing to a safe, well-regulated and sustainable transport sector that serves commuters across Gauteng.

The department issued a further 208 operating licences to compliant public transport operators at the Derek Masoek Regional Office in Johannesburg on Friday, as part of its ongoing backlog reduction programme.

As of now, the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport is still committed to strengthening regulatory compliance and improving the efficiency of the public transport system. The public is still expected to play a role in this process, and any operator who has received an operating licence is urged to collect it as soon as possible.

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that all public transport operators operating in the province are compliant with the required regulations.