A day in the life of an e-hailing driver in South Africa

While working as an e-hailing driver in South Africa may offer the benefit of being your own boss, navigating the country’s roads can be a dangerous occupation.

E-hailing, also known as ride-hailing, refers to any transportation service that allows riders to book a trip using a mobile application.

Ever since Uber, a brand that has become synonymous with e-hailing, launched in South Africa in 2013, the industry has experienced rapid growth.

According to an Uber report released at the beginning of the year, there were 40,000 active drivers in South Africa in the fourth quarter of 2024, serving an active customer base of approximately 1.4 million people.

This means that Uber is a greater creator of employment than Woolworths and Spar, which employ a combined just under 40,000 people.

Similarly, Uber competitor Bolt revealed in 2023 that it had roughly 40,000 drivers across 23 South African cities. However, it did not state whether this included Bolt Food drivers or not.

It is worth noting that e-hailing drivers are not employees of the companies for which they work, but rather work as independent contractors.

This allows them to work outside of the bounds of a traditional employment contract, meaning they can select when they would like to work.

Therefore, many South Africans have turned to these platforms as an additional income stream or side hustle, as they can work for a few hours after work or on the weekends.

The Bolt and Uber payment models are commission-based, where the driver receives the amount paid by the rider, minus a commission fee taken by the operator.

In some cases, drivers have reported that the commission taken is as high as 30% of the rider’s fare. 

While this may prove a very convenient side hustle for those who have access to a vehicle, e-hailing drivers face several dangers while working on the roads.

The first is the threat faced by all drivers, which is the risk of robbery or hijacking.

However, taxi drivers, which have identified e-hailing drivers as a threat to their business, have also proven a significant danger to the ride-hailing industry.

In one case earlier this year, an Uber driver was burned alive in his car, allegedly by taxi drivers, at Mopanya Mall in Soweto after only working on the platform for about a week.

A day in the life

To get an idea of what an e-hailing driver experiences on a day-to-day basis, Newsday spoke to several drivers who work on Bolt and Uber.

One driver said that they wake up at 4 a.m., while another said that they start their day at 5 a.m. 

Once awake and ready for the day, the riders inspect their vehicles to ensure they are clean and in good condition. Afterwards, they switch on their app and await their first trip request.

“I like to take the longer trips in the morning because that often means my day will be more fruitful,” Aphelele, a Bolt driver, told Newsday.

“However, sometimes the platform will incentivise us to take the shorter trips in the morning through promotions.”

He explains that “e-hailing platforms, especially Bolt,” allow drivers to operate for 16 hours a day. 

While Aphelele said that drivers are unlikely to work for the whole period, he added that it is essential to rest throughout the day when driving.

“I’ll work for a few hours and then take a break of 30 to 45 minutes. My first break is around 9 a.m., when the morning demand has calmed down. Then I take breakfast,” he said.

Aphelele says that after breakfast, he’ll work for a few more hours before taking lunch and then continue until about 7 p.m., when he finishes his day. This allows him to fit in about 20 to 25 trips per day.

James, a private chef who works as an e-hailing driver as a side hustle, told Newsday about the dangers of working in the industry.

“There are areas that I avoid for safety reasons. Taxi ranks and malls are no-go zones because this is where taxi drivers operate,” he said.

He explained that criminals target e-hailing drivers, which he has been a victim of in the past.

“I’ve been hijacked before. I picked these guys up, and when we got to the drop-off point, they held me at gunpoint and took my car,” James said.

“Fortunately, the car had a tracker installed, and I was able to recover the vehicle that same evening. I also wasn’t injured. But others aren’t that lucky.”

He said that now, before accepting a request, he checks how many trips the person has taken, whether it’s cash or card, and the pickup and drop-off locations to determine whether it’s safe to accept.

As for how much he earns, James said that he can take home about R5,000 a week. However, this is only because he owns his vehicle.

He mentioned that it’s common for drivers to either rent a vehicle or work for someone else, which means they are less likely to take home as much due to additional expenses.

Aphelele, on the other hand, didn’t mention how much he earns but said that what he does make can be tough to live off of.

“I can’t really say that they pay us enough money. The commission that the platform takes is really crippling us, but it’s better than nothing,” he said.

Speaking on what motivates him as a driver, he pointed to the clients who make the job more enjoyable.

“You’ll meet really good people, and if you serve them well, they’ll leave you a tip and a comment saying that they were pleased with the trip,” he said.

“That’s what motivates me to keep working hard. You meet really good and interesting people.”