Drivers take note: These Cape Town licence centres are going cashless
· The South African
Motorists in Cape Town will need to take note of a payment change coming to three Driving Licence Testing Centres (DLTCs) from next month.
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The City of Cape Town is testing a cashless payment system at selected centres, with the pilot set to begin on 1 October 2026.
Three driving licence testing centres will go cashless
The pilot will initially run at:
- Brackenfell DLTC
- Fish Hoek DLTC
- Strand DLTC
The three centres are among the City’s 18 DLTCs across Cape Town, which handle thousands of transactions every month.
These transactions include traffic fine payments, learner’s and driving licence applications, licence card renewals and replacements, and applications for Professional Driving Permits (PrDPs).
The centres currently accept both cash and card payments, but customers using the three pilot centres will no longer be able to pay with cash once the cashless system takes effect.
Why is the City making the change?
The City says moving away from cash could reduce the risks associated with handling physical money, while also cutting down on reconciliation work and the costs associated with cash collection.
It also forms part of the City’s broader move towards digital services and improving service delivery.
“The City is moving towards more digital resources, to try and improve our customer experience and service delivery in general,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith.
He said the pilot would help determine whether cashless transactions could eventually be introduced at all of the City’s DLTCs.
More changes could be coming to Cape Town DLTCsThe cashless pilot is not the only potential change on the horizon.
Smith pointed to an online appointment system already piloted by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, saying a similar system in Cape Town would be a “game changer”.
The City is also hoping that the recently announced move to 10-year driving licence cards, instead of the current five-year validity period, will eventually reduce pressure on its testing centres once implemented.