Mobility Minister launches Online Portal for Public Transport Licensing

Media release by Ricardo Mackenzie, Western Cape Minister of Mobility

Today, we officially launched the new ‘Citizen Online Portal’ for the Western Cape Public Transport Regulation System (PTRS), which was developed by the Western Cape Government in 2019 following technical challenges with the national permitting system.

With the launch of the online portal, our Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE) – which oversees and processes public transport licensing in the Western Cape – has extended its digital footprint to allow citizens to apply online for public transport operating licences. This new portal does not take away any of the existing methods for interacting with the PRE (at the office or via email), but is an additional option to improve convenience and accessibility for operators.

The PTRS Citizen Online Portal allows citizens to:

• apply online from anywhere;
• monitor and track the status of their application;
• receive notifications on outstanding actions;
• view receipts and decision letters; and
• access a digital summary of their operating licences and other information.

The portal went live on 1 March 2023 with a soft launch, to test the platform and to identify and address technical issues. To date, 1530 citizens have registered accounts and 721 applications for operating licences have been lodged via the online portal.

I was pleased to see that key public transport stakeholders who participated in the development of the online portal attended the launch; including Golden Arrow Bus Services, SANTACO-WC, the metered taxi industry, and small bus operators. The PRE also announced that they will conduct a registration drive and provide training across the province to assist operators with the portal.

Our continued aim is to improve service delivery within this crucial regulatory environment through technology and innovation.

To register an account, access the portal via https://live.online.ptrswesterncape.org. For assistance with online registration, please email enquiries.wcpre@westerncape.gov.za or visit the PRE office at the Vangate Shared Service Centre in Athlone.