Santaco said the project forms part of broader efforts to modernise the sector and expand digital access for millions who rely on taxis daily. The announcement was made during an immersion session in Bryanston on Thursday, where minister of communication and digital technologies Solly Malatsi, together with other stakeholders and Sebenza employees, was taken on a short ride in a Wi-Fi–enabled minibus taxi before being shown a live router installation at the Randburg taxi rank. Sebenza CEO Wesley Dorning said that universal access is particularly urgent for young people, many of whom still struggle to afford data.
Dorning said in-transit connectivity has already shown strong uptake, with usage of the onboard Wi-Fi and entertainment platform growing from 5.3-million in 2024 to 7-million in 2025. “21-million recorded sessions in 2024 and an average dwell time of 10–15 minutes per user,” Dorning said. He said the expansion through the Santaco partnership would deepen national reach, noting that the current footprint spans 8,500 taxis and buses.
“We are now accelerating our rollout … positioning [the company] to deploy 50,000 taxis in the next 24 months,” he said. Dorning also recounted a story from a taxi driver who told him his child used the in-vehicle Wi-Fi to finish a school project, an example, he said, of how connectivity on the move can fill gaps at home. Santaco president Motlhabane Abnar Tsebe said the industry must evolve with commuter needs.
Read Full Article on Daily Dispatch
[paywall]
“This partnership is beneficial for commuters. They cannot be disadvantaged by lack of access to platforms that have been proven to add value and transform their lives,” Tsebe said.
[/paywall]
