Worker’s Day is typically marked by rest. Offices close, public transport runs lighter schedules, and many South Africans use the break to spend time with family or catch up on life outside of work. Yet across cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, thousands of e-hailing drivers remain on the road, continuing a job that rarely pauses.
For Worker’s Day, this reality offers a useful lens into how modern urban mobility actually functions.
While many services scale down, demand for transport does not disappear. Hospitals still need staff, people continue to travel and families still gather. Cities continue to move, and e-hailing drivers are often the ones bridging that gap in a way that is flexible and responsive.
“Drivers adjust to demand in real time, covering early airport trips, late-night returns and short-notice journeys that would otherwise be difficult to plan around. It is this flexibility that positions e-hailing as a critical part of urban mobility rather than just a convenience service. It operates in the spaces where traditional systems are limited or unavailable,” says Ashif Black, country representative for inDrive South Africa.
More than a side hustle in a difficult economy
In South Africa’s high unemployment environment, e-hailing has become a meaningful source of income for many households. According to recent industry data, around 70% of gig workers rely on ride-hailing platforms, with 30% depending on it as their primary income source and 70% using it to supplement earnings from other work.
For many drivers, the platform economy is not incidental work. It is structured income that supports rent, school fees and daily household costs. That shifts the conversation from flexibility as a lifestyle benefit to flexibility as economic necessity.
This is also where platforms such as inDrive position themselves within the local economy with a focus not only on mobility but on expanding access to earning opportunities in a labour market where formal employment remains constrained.
Safety, access and everyday dependence
E-hailing has also become embedded in how people move through cities safely and reliably. Surveys indicate that around 90% of users in South Africa say e-hailing feels safer than traditional transport options, a perception that continues to shape how and when people choose to travel.
This safety perception affects whether people can get to work early in the morning, attend medical appointments or travel after dark. It also plays a role in how families coordinate movement in areas where transport infrastructure is inconsistent.
The human cost of availability
Behind every trip is a driver making a decision to work while others are off. On days like Worker’s Day, that choice carries a particular weight.
Public holidays often bring higher demand, which can translate into better earning opportunities. At the same time, they also mean time away from family gatherings, rest and shared celebrations. Many drivers are balancing immediate financial needs with long hours on the road, often in quieter cities where driving can feel more isolated.
It is this dual reality that often gets overlooked. E-hailing work is framed as flexible, but flexibility cuts both ways. It allows drivers to choose when to work, yet demand patterns often shape those choices in practice.
Rethinking what “essential work” looks like
Worker’s Day is traditionally a moment to recognise labour across sectors. In a modern, digitally driven economy, that recognition increasingly needs to extend beyond traditional categories of employment.
“E-hailing drivers sit at the intersection of transport, technology and informal work. They are part of how cities function day to day, even when the systems around them slow down or stop entirely,” says Black. He notes that the contribution of drivers is often most visible when everything else is not running as usual. “Their presence on the road ensures continuity in how people move through cities, particularly on days when most systems pause,” he adds.
As South Africa reflects on the meaning of work this Worker’s Day, the role of e-hailing drivers offers a clear reminder that essential work is not always defined by formal labels, but who shows up when the city still needs to move.