Yango drivers face income loss amid permit delays

Yango drivers are at risk of losing their income due to prolonged permit approval delays, despite meeting regulatory requirements.

This is according to a statement issued by Yango on Thursday.

The e-hailing service says drivers have submitted the required documentation, and paid the required fees, yet many have waited up to 12 months for permit approvals from the Roads Authority, with no clear timeline or updates.

“Or in some cases, unexplained requests to reapply from scratch,” Yango says.

Yango says the National Traffic Information System is stripping compliant drivers of their ability to earn a living, adding that the financial toll is severe.

The delays, Yango says, have forced drivers to buy temporary permits costing N$850 per month, placing an additional financial burden on individuals who are often unable to operate and earn an income while awaiting approval.

“This is an ongoing cost with no guarantee of resolution, while being unable to operate and generate the income those permits are meant to enable,” it says.

Yango describes the situation as a “livelihood crisis,” noting that affected drivers rely on ride-hailing services to support their families.

The company calls on the Ministry of Works and Transport to streamline the process, provide clear and transparent communication on the process, and establish a transitional bridging mechanism that allows documented, compliant drivers to continue working while applications are being processed.

“The system was designed to protect the public. It should not, through administrative delay, punish the very operators trying to work within it,” Yango says.

The e-hailing service was given 28 days to comply with the law or risk being unable to operate.

Minister Veikko Nekundi earlier this month said the operator will face consequences from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology if they do not comply with the law.

He said the ministry had engaged them in good faith since last year, but they have not complied.

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