08-08-2025
Taxi service in South Africa has become accessible with customizable white-label taxi apps, which are ready-made and cost-effective. With this solution, the entrepreneurs can customize their brand details. From UnicoTaxi to Gofer, these apps offer everything a ride hailing business needs. You can target any city of your choice with these affordable apps and grow your brand in South Africa.
South Africa’s transportation industry is experiencing growth, so launching your own taxi booking app could be a lucrative opportunity. But the hindrance here is developing an app from the initial point. This is when the white-label taxi management software comes into the picture. These pre-built, fully tailor-made apps are efficient and help you bring your app quickly to the market. From real-time tracking to driver management, everything contributes to the essential features of the app. In this blog, we will explore the 10 best white-label apps that help you set up your ride-hailing brand in South Africa.
The taxi market of South Africa acts as the dominant mode of public transport in the country serving about 15 million riders every day. This estimated to be $318.50 Million and its user base will reach 8.89 million by 2029. The market is primarily designed for minibus taxis and is largely informal. With over 200,000 vehicles in operation, it accounts for approximately 75% of all public transport trips. The sector plays a vital economic role, employing more than 600,000 people across driving, vehicle maintenance, and support services. Even though the industry is on a high scale it is currently facing situations like safety concerns, restricted access, and limited regulations. However, it also presents significant opportunities for innovation, especially through digital platforms and emerging technologies like electric vehicles, which could enhance both efficiency and sustainability.
Launching a Ride-hailing startup in countries like South Africa could be a clever idea that could get you a fortune investing. As the country significantly relies on public transport for primary mobility its demand has started growing. Urbanization, increasing smartphone penetration, and shifting consumer expectations are opening the door for modern, tech-enabled services like ride-hailing and white-label taxi apps. The efficient and customer-friendly alternatives are proposed by the entrepreneurs to fill the gaps in the formal public transport system. Whether you are targeting high-traffic urban centers or underserved townships, South Africa’s market size, user demand, and openness to innovation make it an ideal location to build and grow a taxi brand.
Bonus Read: How to Start a Successful and Profitable Taxi Business in South Africa
A white-label is a pre-cooked solution developed by a company and can be rebranded by another. You will be able to get a fully functional app that can be customized with your logo, brand name, and color, all without developing it from scratch. Businesses that like to appear in the market quickly, with reduced development time, and cost can be reduced.
A custom-built app is completely the opposite of a white-labeled app. A Custom-built app is highly personalized based on specific requirements, with full control features and scalability. These apps are flexible and unique, and require time, with a high upfront cost. This solutions are best for startups as they have proven records and are often a smart and efficient choice.
All the visual elements of the app including color, scheme, logo, and fonts can be fully customized in a white-labeled solution. These apps will ensure your business identity rather than the developer’s brand. Your brand recognition can be built from the name across the app and on the app store.
This pre-tested platform significantly reduces that time and offers quick market entry. This helps you to start building your customer base and establish a brand presence.
The high-cost software development can be bypassed while using this branding solution. This will help the startups to compete in the ride-sharing market under their own branded service.
These apps offer complete control over business areas. These pre-built solutions can help you decide your commission structure, service region, pricing model, and promotional campaigns. This operational control lets you tailor the service to your local market and establish a unique value proposition under your own brand.
As your brand grows, you can add more drivers, serve more areas, or even expand into related services like delivery or logistics. This scalability ensures that your app grows along with your brand without needing to rebuild the platform from scratch.
All the standard features of an Uber-like taxi booking app are included in these pre-built platforms. Customer satisfaction and loyalty can be strengthened and user experience can be enhanced while using this app. This will help the customer to easily associate with your brand and build a brand reputation.
All your marketing efforts will directly influence your brand as it is marketed under your own name. To keep your brand on the top of users’ minds you can run promotions, offer loyalty programs, and send push notifications.
Read Also: 7 Key Benefits of White Label Taxi App
UnicoTaxi’s tailor-made white-label dispatch app and rental software solution help startup and taxi companies, as well as entrepreneurs, to launch their own ride-hailing platform in South Africa. This customizable solution includes a driver app, passenger app, dispatch panel, and admin dashboard. Essential features like automated fare calculation, GPS tracking, live monitoring, and a payment gateway integration. UnicoTaxi can help local entrepreneurs compete with giants. This app is highly scalable, offering multilingual support, and is good for the South African market.
The most common ride-sharing app in South Africa, with a reliable and convenient transport option, is Uber. This service is used for those who are looking for cashless options.
Bolt has competitive pricing and regular fare promotions when compared to Uber in South Africa. It has a wide variety of vehicles, with different categories across the country. With its efficient service and competitive pricing, Bolt has engraved its name across budget-conscious customers.
inDriver is a unique model that allows riders to fix their fare, and drivers can accept the offer. This peer-to-peer feature is appealing to people and gives them control over pricing. The inDriver is known for its affordability and flexibility and is popular in the South African market.
This popular South African app comes with safe and affordable pricing and empowers African communities. Yokoo Ride uses facial recognition authentication for drivers. They also offer special rates for the elderly and students.
Taxi Live Africa combines conventional methods with modern techniques. Metered services with convenient app-based booking are used in Taxi Live Africa. Features of the app include safety emergency buttons, real-time tracking, and customer support. This app is an alternate option for users who prefer an easy taxi service.
YoTaxi is a hybrid app that connects users with professional taxi drivers. It has uniform drivers, vehicle standards, with affordable pricing. This app is particularly used by customers who are looking for consistency and a traditional with modern car experience.
These zebra-striped professional services are operating in Johannesburg and the surrounding areas. This app offers app-based bookings, a payment option with a card, and comfort. To offer scheduled rides, you can partner with hotels and corporate clients.
One of the long-standing apps in South Africa is Orange Cabs. They have convenient digital booking but offer a traditional ride experience. Those who are looking for a professional transport option can use this for scheduled rides.
This platform offers fixed rates and avoids overcharging. They also help with features like route tracking and in-app communication.
The taxi market in South Africa has unique needs and customer behavior. Choose an app that supports multilingual options, local payment methods, and flexibility to cater to the urban environment. The app must adapt to South Africa’s diverse socio-economic landscape.
There are regulated taxi operations in major cities of the country which include Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. Ensure the app provider is familiar with local transport laws, licensing requirements, and driver verification procedures. Integration with systems like RTMC (Road Traffic Management Corporation) or local municipality guidelines may also be essential.
White-Labeled, implies that these apps allow complete customization including UI elements. An on-demand ride-hailing app that restricts branding options will limit your ability to build a unique identity and stand out in a competitive market.
As the country has a multilingual population, you should build an app that helps locals and others choose their language. It must also fully support the South African Rand, with accurate fare calculation, invoicing, and tax settings aligned with local standards.
Accurate navigation is crucial in both urban and rural areas of South Africa, where infrastructure varies. Offline navigation or GPS fail-safes are a bonus in areas with weak connectivity.
Reliable support from the app provider is vital. Look for vendors that provide 24/7 technical support, regular updates, and bug fixes. Good support ensures your app runs smoothly and evolves with user expectations.
The cost of ownership will include a license fee, initial setup fee, customization and integration cost, and ongoing maintenance. Balance the pricing with the features offered and the potential return on investment in your chosen South African market.
Cost of developing an App for Taxi business in South Africa will range from R80,000 and R560,000 based on various specifications. If you are willing to develop a simple white-label app it could be between R80k – R160k, approximately. If you want to develop an advanced white-label app is between R320k – R560k approximately. When you want to build a basic custom-made app, it would be approximately between R1.2m – R3m. If you are building an fully customizable app then the cost would be R4m – R10m+.
UnicoTaxi’s white-label Uber, Lyft and Bolt clone app solution offers a complete, ready-to-launch solution that simplifies the process of starting your own ride-hailing business. With fully customizable branding, local market adaptability, and robust features like real-time tracking, driver management, and multiple payment integrations, it empowers entrepreneurs to enter the transportation industry quickly and confidently. Whether you are launching in a single city or aiming to scale nationwide, UnicoTaxi provides the tools, support, and flexibility you need to grow your brand and deliver a seamless rider experience. In short, it’s the smart, cost-effective way to build your own taxi business from the ground up.
Kiruthika
"Kiruthika is a Senior Content Writer at UnicoTaxi. She has been in the content writing industry for over 5 years and works closely with taxi, mobility, and on-demand delivery businesses. She understands the pulse of the transport tech industry, researches evolving market trends, and creates content that educates, informs, and drives growth. Kiruthika is passionate about storytelling, loves simplifying complex topics, and enjoys connecting with readers through impactful writing."
