Why Criminals Are Now Targeting Taxis and E-Hailing Cars

TaxiSure 11 August 2026 9 min read safety

South Africa has a hijacking problem. The reported numbers are falling. That is good news. But the level is still high. And the kind of vehicle being picked is changing. Work vehicles are being picked more often.

Crime researchers and vehicle tracking companies have seen this change. Crime groups are choosing their targets more carefully than before. Work vehicles are moving up their list.

Do you drive e-hailing? Do you run a taxi or minibus? Then this matters to you.

What the latest numbers say

The police numbers tell two things at once. Both are true.

Hijackings are down. The police recorded 4,420 carjackings in the last quarter of 2025. That is 8.1% fewer than the same quarter in 2024, when there were 4,807. Earlier in 2025 the drop was bigger. From January to March there were 4,533 carjackings. That was 15.1% fewer than the 5,338 in the same months of 2024. Truck hijackings dropped 21.6% over those same three months.

But the number is still very high. Those figures work out to about 48 to 50 vehicles hijacked every day. A drop from a very high number is still a very high number.

The real number may be higher. The Victims of Crime Survey points to about 81,000 hijackings in a year. That would be about 222 a day. So many hijackings are never reported to the police. The police numbers are the lowest count, not the full picture.

Gauteng has the most. Gauteng has more than 55% of all carjackings in the country. It also has 64% of all truck hijackings. In the last quarter of 2025, Gauteng alone had 2,544 carjackings. That is more than half the national total. And Gauteng’s own drop was only 0.9%.

Some routes are worse than others. On the N1, the Beyers Naude, William Nicol and Rivonia off-ramps carry high risk. The Midrand stretch between Allandale and New Road is one of the busiest hijacking spots in the country. The N3 freight route toward Durban has ongoing truck hijacking. The N12 and N17 are also higher-risk roads around Gauteng.

Why work vehicles are being picked more

This part is clearer than the numbers.

Tracker looked at vehicle crime from July to December 2024. It found that business-owned vehicles were 56% more likely to be hit by vehicle crime than private vehicles. It also found something else. When a business vehicle is hit, the crime is 33% more likely to be a hijacking than a theft.

That is the part that matters for taxi and e-hailing drivers. Hijacking is not getting worse overall. But if your vehicle earns money, your risk is higher. And you are more likely to be hijacked than to have the car quietly stolen from a parking spot.

Crime groups work like a business. Work vehicles suit them for three reasons.

You are easy to predict. Taxi and e-hailing drivers follow patterns. The same pickup spots. The same busy hours. The same loading zones. Someone can watch you for a few days and learn your routine.

Your vehicle is worth money. A well-kept minibus taxi is more than a car. So is a newer people-carrier. It is a working asset. It can be stripped for parts, resprayed, sent out of the country, or put into an illegal fleet.

You work at risky hours. Early mornings and late nights are the busy times for work transport. They are also higher-risk times.

The Suzuki Ertiga: named as a 2026 risk

AutoTrader put out a hijacking risk report in April 2026. It used police data. The report ranks the Suzuki Ertiga sixth on its list of most-hijacked vehicles. It calls the Ertiga a specific 2026 risk. The reason it gives is simple. The Ertiga has become very common in e-hailing.

For comparison, the same report puts the Toyota Hilux first. The Hilux is hijacked at nearly double the rate of any other bakkie. The VW Polo and Polo Vivo come second. The Ford Ranger is third. Then the Toyota Corolla Cross and the Nissan NP200.

So the Ertiga is not the most hijacked vehicle in the country. But it is worth knowing why it is on the list at all. It is there because so many e-hailing drivers use it. Do you drive one for work? Then treat your car as a known type, not just another car on the road. New to the industry? Our guide on how to become an Uber or Bolt driver covers the vehicle rules before you buy.

What the truck numbers add

Truck hijacking has grown a lot over ten years. There were 1,996 truck hijackings in the 2023 financial year. In 2012 there were 821. So the number has more than doubled. The police recorded 420 truck hijackings in one quarter of 2025.

But read those numbers carefully. Over ten years the trend is up. Over the last few quarters it is down. Both are true.

What the truck numbers really show is this. Crime groups have grown across all kinds of work transport. They use the same routes. They use many of the same methods. Smaller work vehicles sit inside those same networks.

What actually covers hijacking

This is where operators get caught out. So let us be clear.

Comprehensive motor cover and commercial vehicle cover can pay out for hijacking and theft. But two things have to be true. The policy must include those events. And its conditions must be met. A working, active tracker fitted to the vehicle is a common condition.

Sasria does not cover hijacking. Sasria is a state-owned insurer for special risks. It covers a set list of events: riot, public disorder, strike and labour trouble, civil commotion, terrorism, and looting during one of those events. Hijacking is not on that list. So a hijacking is not a Sasria claim. You can read more about what SASRIA cover does and does not include. Has someone told you different? Check the wording.

Questions worth asking about your own cover:

Does the policy pay out for hijacking and theft, or only for accident damage?
Does it need a tracker? And is yours active and serviced?
Does it allow work use? Or is it priced for private use only?

Many operators only find this out after an incident. Their cover was set up for a private car, not for a vehicle that earns money on the road every day. There are commercial vehicle options built for this. TaxiSure’s minibus taxi cover includes hijacking cover. Drivers on the apps can look at e-hailing cover instead. For both, what is actually covered depends on the policy you take out, and is subject to its terms, limits and exclusions.

What drivers do to lower their risk

These are general safety steps. Fleet security people and the police often give this advice. It is safety information, not financial advice.

Change your routes and times when the job allows. If you are easy to predict, you are easy to watch.

Stay alert where you slow down. Traffic lights, gates and driveways are risky spots. So is the moment you pick up or drop off, when your attention is on the passenger.

Keep your tracker on and serviced. A tracker that is dead, broken or not reporting is a safety gap. On many policies it also breaks a condition of your cover. Not sure what counts? Miss T explains what an approved tracking system is.

Be careful of a sudden blockage. A blocked road or a small bump can be set up to make you stop. Does something feel wrong? Then it may well be wrong.

Keep cash and valuables out of sight. Cash can build up during an e-hailing shift.

Talk to TaxiSure about your cover

Not sure if your policy covers work use, hijacking or theft? Then it is worth checking what your own policy says.

WhatsApp TaxiSure now on 062 179 0033 and ask what your policy covers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are business and e-hailing vehicles picked more often than private cars?

Tracker looked at vehicle crime from July to December 2024. It found business-owned vehicles were 56% more likely to be hit by vehicle crime than private vehicles. It also found that when a business vehicle is hit, the crime is 33% more likely to be a hijacking than a theft. Taxis and e-hailing cars are work vehicles, so this applies to them.

Are hijackings in South Africa going up or down?

They are going down. The police recorded 4,420 carjackings in the last quarter of 2025. That is 8.1% fewer than the same quarter a year before. The January to March 2025 figure was 15.1% lower than the year before. But the level is still high at about 48 to 50 vehicles a day. And the Victims of Crime Survey suggests many hijackings are never reported.

Why is the Suzuki Ertiga being named as a hijacking risk?

AutoTrader’s 2026 risk report ranks the Ertiga sixth among the most-hijacked vehicles. It names the Ertiga as a specific 2026 risk. The reason is how common the model has become in e-hailing. It is not the most hijacked vehicle in the country. The Toyota Hilux is.

Does Sasria cover vehicle hijacking?

No. Sasria covers a set list of special risks: riot, public disorder, strike and labour trouble, civil commotion, terrorism, and looting during a covered event. Hijacking and normal theft are not on that list. They fall under comprehensive motor cover or commercial vehicle cover instead, subject to the terms of each policy.

Which vehicle is hijacked most in South Africa?

AutoTrader’s 2026 risk report names the Toyota Hilux. It is hijacked at nearly double the rate of any other bakkie. The VW Polo and Polo Vivo are second. The Ford Ranger is third.

Where do most hijackings happen?

Gauteng has more than 55% of all carjackings and 64% of all truck hijackings. Some roads are worse than others. The N1 is risky near the Beyers Naude, William Nicol and Rivonia off-ramps. So is the Midrand stretch between Allandale and New Road. The N3 freight route toward Durban is another one.

Does my tracker affect a hijacking claim?

On many commercial vehicle policies, a working tracker is a condition of cover. Is your tracker off, broken or not reporting when an incident happens? Then it can affect whether a claim is paid. Check your policy wording and keep the unit serviced.

Sources

Taxisure Risk Specialists (Pty) Ltd | Authorised Financial Services Provider | FSP 52693

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