Uber South Africa plans to invest R5bn over the next three years, betting on strong local growth while urging the government to provide policy certainty to unlock further investment.
The ride-hailing group said the funding, announced at the SA Investment Conference, will be directed towards expanding new mobility and delivery services, including Uber Moto — its motorbike offering — electric bikes for deliveries, charging infrastructure, and Uber Go, its electric mini-vehicle product launched last year.
Deepesh Thomas, GM for sub-Saharan Africa, said SA remains a key growth market for the group. “We have been super bullish on growth in SA and across the region. Since launching in SA, Uber has created more than 120,000 earning opportunities on the platform,” he said in an interview.
“More than 70% of those individuals previously had no formal way to earn an income. That highlights both the scale of the platform and its contribution to economic participation and demand in SA.”
Thomas said Uber wants to build on that momentum through continued investment but warned that regulatory clarity remains critical.
“When you have a positive and secure regulatory environment, it becomes far easier to deploy capital and also to attract third-party investors into the economy.”
Uber is expanding its township programme, first launched in Soweto in partnership with the Gauteng provincial government, aimed at boosting digital commerce and enabling small businesses to trade on the platform
The company said it supports the National Land Transport Act as a framework to regulate the e-hailing sector but is seeking greater certainty on implementation — particularly around licensing processes, which remain a key friction point for drivers.
Uber is also doubling down on newer segments, which it sees as future growth drivers.
“We have seen strong traction in new verticals over the past year. Moto, in particular, could become a core engine for transportation and e-hailing in SA over the next decade,” Thomas said, adding that further investment in the segment could create up to 300,000 earning opportunities over 10 years.
Part of the investment will also go towards vehicle and motorbike financing, as well as training drivers to transition to electric vehicles.
Uber is expanding its township programme, first launched in Soweto in partnership with the Gauteng provincial government, aimed at boosting digital commerce and enabling small businesses to trade on the platform.
The initiative has already helped digitise more than 2,000 township merchants and created over 7,500 income-earning opportunities for delivery partners. The group now plans to roll this out to other provinces, with the Eastern Cape a key target.
Early this month, Uber introduced a suite of new initiatives aimed at improving driver earnings. These include tailored vehicle financing, digital taxi-top advertising screens for additional income, and customised insurance products.
The company has also partnered with Shoprite to offer drivers discounted funeral insurance and more affordable cross-border remittance solutions.
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