AARTO hits the pause button: What now?

The national rollout of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act has been delayed once again. Why? What are the implications? JULIA TEW reveals all.

On 28 November 2025 the government gazetted the withdrawal of the regulations and proclamations that were meant to enable implementation under the AARTO Amendment Act 4 of 2019. The previously published 2025 Regulations (Government Gazette 53605, Notice 6782), along with Proclamations 272, 273 and 274 (initially declared on 1 August 2025), have all been withdrawn.

This effectively “pauses” the legal mechanism for phase-one implementation: the decree that would have extended AARTO beyond the pilot municipalities is no longer in force. In practical terms, the planned 1 December 2025 rollout to 69 municipalities has been postponed. The Department of Transport (DoT) now intends to begin rollout on 1 July 2026, with the remaining 144 municipalities following on 1 November 2026 and the national demerit-points system expected only from 1 April 2027.

Meanwhile, AARTO remains operational in the pilot municipalities – notably the City of Johannesburg and the City of Tshwane (Pretoria) – but without expansion until further notice.

Why the delay?

According to the DoT, the postponement stems from readiness concerns. Assessments revealed that many of the municipalities targeted for Phase One lacked fully trained enforcement and back-office staff. Additionally, there is a need to harmonise the diverse local enforcement systems used by municipalities and to ensure sufficient funding to support the AARTO infrastructure.

For critics like the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), this latest deferment simply confirms what they have long argued: that AARTO was being rushed out despite serious structural deficiencies.

What it means for transport and fleet operators

With the regulations withdrawn, the legal basis for handling infringements administratively under AARTO is effectively suspended. That means that in most parts of South Africa, traffic violations will continue to be dealt with under the older system (i.e., via court-based criminal procedure).

For fleet owners and managers – especially those with vehicles operating across multiple municipalities – this prolongs the period of uncertainty. Many preparations made over the past months, like the systems to redirect fines to drivers, back-office readiness and driver-nominating procedures, will likely need updating or re-evaluation once a new regulatory framework is republished.

Because AARTO ties demerits and fines not to vehicles per se but to individuals (drivers) – with the option to redirect notices to the actual infringing driver – fleet operators need robust internal processes and record-keeping. Failure to do so under AARTO could lead to points being automatically assessed against the vehicle or operator card, triggering licence suspensions or fleet grounding.

Given the delay, many will question whether to continue investing in compliance readiness immediately or to await the re-gazettement of regulations. For some, this may offer breathing space; for others – particularly large transport or logistics companies – it raises operational risk via regulatory uncertainty.

What it means for drivers

For individual drivers in most municipalities, the immediate effect is minimal. Until AARTO is reactivated in their area, traffic offences will continue to be pursued under the existing criminal-court framework – and the new demerit-points regime will not yet apply.

That said, drivers based in the pilot municipalities (Johannesburg and Tshwane) remain subject to AARTO enforcement. For them – and for drivers operating across municipal boundaries – uncertainty remains about when (or if) the new rules will apply, which complicates behaviour planning and risk management.

When demerits do come into effect nationally, the consequences will be serious: under AARTO, minor infringements will be administered (rather than being criminally prosecuted) but will trigger fines and demerit points. Over a threshold (traditionally 12 to 15 points, depending on the final regulations) licence suspensions – and even permanent cancellation after repeated offences – will be possible.

Drivers will need to pay close attention to dispatch of infringement notices, nomination procedures if someone else was driving, and deadlines for responses – failing which courtesy letters, enforcement orders or even warrants of execution may follow.

Insurance implications are also flagged: licence suspensions or frequent infringements under AARTO could lead to higher premiums or cancellation, especially for professional drivers or subsidised fleet operators.

Implications for road safety

The stated aim of AARTO has always been to improve road safety by encouraging compliance and discouraging habitual violations. By replacing lengthy court processes with faster administrative adjudication and introducing the demerit-points system, AARTO was designed to deter reckless driving and habitual offenders.

However, the repeated delays – culminating in the recent withdrawal of regulations – risk undermining public confidence in the system. For road safety advocates and enforcement agencies, each postponement represents a lost opportunity to reduce road fatalities and improve compliance. As one critic put it, the delay “proves government’s chaos, not citizens’ fault”.

Furthermore, the longer the system remains in limbo, the higher the chance that municipalities and fleet operators revert to “business as usual” – reducing urgency around driver training, compliance procedures and enforcement.

What next – and how to prepare

• Re-publication of regulations and proclamations: The DoT has indicated it will issue a new proclamation and regulations ahead of the July 2026 start date. Stakeholders should monitor the Government Gazette.
• Training and system readiness: The delay highlights the need for thorough training of law enforcement, administrative and back-office personnel. Companies like Labour Guide offer staff training in this regard. Municipalities, fleet operators and compliance teams should use the extra time to build robust internal processes.
• Fleet compliance protocols: Fleet owners should ensure that systems are in place now for nominating drivers for infringements, recording who drives which vehicle when and tracking fines/infringements.
• Driver awareness and education: Drivers (especially in the commercial sector) should be made aware of how AARTO will work – the fines, the demerits, the deadlines – and why it is critical to comply.
• Risk management for insurers: Insurance companies and fleet underwriters should re-assess risk models, taking into account the likelihood of future widespread AARTO enforcement, demerits and potential licence suspensions.

In a nutshell

The withdrawal of AARTO’s supporting regulations and the postponement of its national rollout once again underscore how tentative the promise of a nationwide demerit-points system in South Africa remains. For now, only motorists in the pilot municipalities – Johannesburg and Tshwane – face AARTO enforcement.

For the wider transport industry, fleet operators, managers and drivers, the delay offers a mixed blessing: a respite from immediate compliance pressures, but also prolonged uncertainty. The extra time – while unwelcome to those wanting clarity – may be used constructively to develop internal systems, training and driver education.

From a road-safety perspective, however, each delay is a missed chance to impose stricter accountability on habitual offenders. A fully realised AARTO could still play a vital role in improving road behaviour and reducing accidents – provided the reworked regulations are fair, clear and efficiently administered.

As things stand, all eyes should be on the next Government Gazette: that will determine whether AARTO returns to the front burner or fades back into the long saga of unfulfilled promises.