Ride-hailing in Johannesburg

Airports Company South Africa accredits metered taxi services covering all major towns and suburbs within the airport vicinity. The taxi and shuttle terminus is behind the hotels, following the taxi and shuttle icons, and the airport's information desk in the terminal is the published route to booking one.

The FCDO warns that scammers target people using e-hailing taxi apps in major cities, and tells travellers to use an internationally recognised service, book through the app, wait somewhere safe rather than in the street, and check the vehicle registration and driver ID before getting in. It also warns of unregulated drivers posing as Uber or other app drivers, especially at airports.

The FCDO records that tensions between e-hailing and metered taxi drivers have led to armed violence and fatalities, particularly around Gautrain stations and at airports, and that passengers have faced harassment or violence. That is reason enough not to negotiate with anyone who approaches you off-app.

Bolt requires its drivers at South African airports to stay in the Driver Waiting Area and join the in-app queue, and to proceed to the pick-up and drop-off zone only after accepting an order, so the car will not be sitting at the kerb when you request it.

Uber states that at OR Tambo you are dropped off kerbside at the terminal you specify when requesting the ride, and its Reserve product locks in the fare in advance and uses flight tracking to notify the driver of cancellations or significant delays, which is the steadier shape for a pre-dawn departure.

The FCDO records criminals following people from OR Tambo International Airport to their destinations and robbing them, often at gunpoint. Its advice is to use main roads to and from the airport, move through public areas quickly, avoid isolated areas, and arrange for your hotel or tour operator to meet you if possible.