WHY you’ll PAY to check AARTO demerit points

Motorists will have to pay R60 every time they check their AARTO demerit points, when the full system finally rolls out. That is according to the final regulations of the much-maligned Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) system. However, the charge has drawn widespread criticism.

AARTO DEMERIT POINTS

Critics call the charge of R60 each time by the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) ‘unconscionable,’ saying it should be free. Company drivers will be required to regularly declare their AARTO demerit points, which would mean multiple enquiries. Four checks a year is R240, which is nearly 5% of the minimum-wage most drivers earn monthly.

However, as those who’ve been following the story for years know, the AARTO demerit points phase aren’t operational yet. That only forms part of what was once reported to start on 1 September 2026, but has since come and gone. No new date has been gazetted, as yet, with March 2027 looking a likelier timing.

WHERE ROLLOUT STANDS

Moreover, AARTO’s administrative machinery has allegedly been live since 1 July 2026 in 62 municipalities. This includes 60 new ones, plus Johannesburg and Tshwane. The latter have been running since 2008. However, it is mired in a sea of legal battles:

• SALGA: The South African Local Government Association filed an urgent High Court application on 23 June.
• City of Cape Town: Launched an intergovernmental dispute-resolution process over its concerns about implementation. The transport minister agreed to suspend Phase 2 in the Western Cape. So, motorists there remain under the Criminal Procedure Act’s court process.
• OUTA: Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse sought an urgent order to suspend Phase 2 pending review of the presidential proclamations.
• Appeals Tribunal: Motorists can use the aforementioned to contest infringements, but its implementation is also subject to legal challenge.

NO END IN SIGHT

Phase 3 rollout, which would include the much-maligned AARTO demerit points costing R60 per check, has no set date. With legal disputes resolved, this would extend AARTO to the remaining 151 municipalities countrywide. Reports differ on the timeline, but a realistic one looks like it might stretch beyond next year and into 2028. Until then, it’s worth noting that AARTO does apply in 62 municipalities, but not in the Western Cape …

But what do you think? Do you think AARTO demerits points is system with potential? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below …