Bolt, the mobility service that currently connects more than 25 000 drivers with passengers across South Africa, says it welcomes the launch of government's Covid-19 Taxi Relief Fund (TRF). 

The fund offers a once-off payment for qualifying drivers that experienced loss of income during the various Covid-19-related lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.

“Bolt engaged extensively with the Department of Transport (DoT) during the initial stages of the lockdown in 2020, encouraging it to include e-hailing drivers as essential service providers so that they could continue to offer their services and earn an income,” says head of public policy for Southern Africa at Bolt, Andrew Ihsaan Gasnolar.

Part of this process was making sure that the DoT recognised that e-hailing drivers incurred significant extra costs to comply with Covid-19 requirements, such as buying sanitisers at a time when they could only carry 50% of their passenger capacity.

“We welcome government’s inclusion of eligible e-hailing drivers in the R1.135-billion relief fund, as it highlights government’s recognition of e-hailing as an important mode of transport in South Africa, and that the platform stands separate from the likes of bus companies and other private transport businesses,” notes Gasnolar.

While bus drivers’ employers were able to provide support for them via the other relief schemes, e-hailing drivers are self-employed micro-entrepreneurs who were not eligible for any financial support.

To qualify for the TRF, drivers must be South African citizens or permanent residents, and they must hold a valid operating licence and professional driving permit that was valid at the start of lockdown on March 27, 2020. 

They must also be registered with the South African Revenue Service for income tax purposes, and they must have been earning an income by driving with an e-hailing platform for 180 days before the lockdown started.

“While payment from the TRF is not expected to fully compensate drivers for their earnings lost during the pandemic, the intention is that these payments will help alleviate the impact of the additional costs and reduced revenue that were caused by the pandemic environment,” says Gasnolar.