E-hailing company moves to install panic buttons for its drivers. What about passengers?
· Citizen
As hijackings and robberies targeting e-hailing drivers continue to rise, Maxim is rolling out a new SOS button aimed at helping drivers quickly call for assistance and share their location when they are in danger.
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Maxim is an e-hailing company operating across South Africa. It has joined the likes of Uber, Bolt and inDrive among others.
Drivers of these e-hailing services were previously caught in a conflict between traditional minibus taxi operators, driven by intense competition for passengers, territorial control of transport hubs like shopping malls and historical gaps in sector regulation.
This conflict saw the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, amend the National Land Transport Amendment Act regulations to maintain peace between the two parties.
She has also urged e-hailing services to install panic buttons to protect both passengers and drivers. While the measure is not compulsory, Maxim is among the first to install the button, but only for drivers, it seems.
Maxim told The Citizen that “the same safety feature has already been developed for passengers and will be launched in the very near future”.
E-hailing drivers become targets
Lesoli Lemphane, head of development at Maxim South Africa, said the initiative forms part of the e-hailing service’s focus on creating a safer e-hailing environment for both drivers and passengers.
Through the in-app safety and emergency support feature, drivers can quickly alert emergency services, a trusted person, or nearby members of the Maxim driver community, depending on the circumstances.
“The safety of our drivers is extremely important to us, particularly as e-hailing drivers continue to face risks while working on the road and there are growing concerns around drivers being targeted by criminals,” Lemphane said.
“The new SOS feature gives drivers another practical way to call for help and alert people around them when they find themselves in a difficult situation.
“By connecting them with emergency services, a trusted emergency contact and nearby drivers at the press of a button, we hope this feature will provide an additional layer of support and reassurance to those who spend their days on the road.”
How the e-hailing panic button works
Lemphane said that when a driver activates the SOS function, they can call the country’s mobile emergency number on 112, send a message to an emergency contact, or send a distress signal to nearby Maxim drivers.
“When the emergency-contact option is selected, the designated contact receives an SMS explaining that they have been listed as an emergency contact by the driver and that they are experiencing an emergency, together with a link allowing them to view the reported location on a map.
“If the nearby driver option is activated, Maxim drivers in the vicinity receive the SOS signal along with the driver’s location, allowing them to become aware that assistance may be required.”
Changes to e-hailing law
A year ago, a 27-year-old Uber driver, Mthokozisi Mvelase, was killed outside Maponya Mall in Soweto, Gauteng, allegedly due to a dispute between e-hailing and taxi drivers. The events following the death saw the mall being brought to a standstill by community members, demanding that the taxi rank operating inside Maponya Mall be closed.
It was this incident that saw Creecy amend the National Land Transport Act. Changes included branding e-hailing vehicles, creating an operating license specifically for e-hailing services and adding panic buttons, among others.
EFF MP Lorato Florence Tito asked the minister whether the department had considered mandatory national panic-alert integration and real-time incident coordination between e-hailing platforms and the police.
Creecy said the department had not considered making the measures compulsory. “These are measures proposed in the regulations and other measures can be coordinated by the industry itself, as is currently being done,” she said.
“For instance, in order to help with crime prevention and investigations, drivers are asked to think about additional safety precautions, like adding dash cams to record the trip.”
Drive to ensure compliance
Bolt and Maxim previously confirmed to The Citizen that they are fully compliant with the National Land Transport Amendment Act regulations.
Simo Kalajdzic, senior operations manager at Bolt South Africa, said the e-hailing service obtained its certificate of registration.
“Bolt confirms that it has obtained its certificate of registration from the National Public Transport Regulator (NPTR), issued on 27 February 2026 and is fully compliant with Regulations 15, 16, 17 and 18 of the National Land Transport Act regulations 2025,” said Kalajdzic.
Bolt has embarked on a national e-hailing compliance programme following regulatory engagements in the North West and Western Cape.
More than 150 operators attended Bolt’s first North West e-hailing regulatory engagement session in Rustenburg on 18 August, with additional operators receiving one-on-one assistance through support and help desks. This was followed by the Western Cape transport dialogue in Cape Town on 21 August.
Drivers need to understand the law
“Bolt was one of the first major platforms to register under the new regulatory framework, but leadership cannot end with our own compliance,” said Fikile Nzuza-Chunga, senior public policy manager at Bolt.
“Operators must understand what the law requires, licensing processes must work in practice and the institutions responsible for implementation must remain accessible. Our provincial engagement programme is designed to help move the industry from regulation to implementation.”
Bolt said there is a backlog of between 3 000 and 5 000 pending operating licence applications in the North West. According to the North West Provincial Regulatory Entity, more frequent sittings would be required to address the backlog and requested accurate information on the number of active operators in each municipality.
“Bolt will submit information on its North West operator base to assist the Provincial Regulatory Entity in developing a practical approach to e-hailing applications,” said the e-hailing company.
“The company will also continue engaging the relevant authorities on an appropriate enforcement approach while operators await the processing and outcome of their applications.”
Passenger verification
The e-hailing service said operators raised concerns about the continuous identity and documentation checks applied to drivers compared with the information historically required from passengers.
“Riders are prompted to enter their South African ID number and take a selfie, with most verifications completed automatically within minutes,” said Bolt. “If a rider cannot be verified immediately, they may be asked to upload an identity document for additional checks.”
Nzuza-Chunga said the process is supported by a trusted verification partner and includes checks against records maintained by the department of home affairs.
“Voluntary verification is already available to riders nationwide, helping ensure that users are accurately identified and accountable when accessing the platform,” he said.
“Drivers are required to meet strict identity, documentation and licensing standards. Strengthening rider verification helps close an important safety gap and supports greater accountability on both sides of the platform.
“Verification is not a complete solution on its own, but it is an important part of the wider safety system Bolt continues to build.”