Rank-to-rank parcel delivery · South Africa
R2R uses the minibus taxi network to carry parcels between ranks. No couriers. No new infrastructure. The taxi is already going there - your parcel goes with it.
01How it works
No couriers. No depots. No waiting. The taxi is already on that route - your parcel rides with it.
Bring your parcel to an R2R service point at the rank. Give your details and the recipient's - name, ID, cell number. Declare the contents, pay the fee, and walk away with a tracking number. The whole thing takes a few minutes.
The rank agent labels and seals the parcel, then hands it directly to an approved driver running that route. The driver signs before departure. Nothing leaves the rank without a paper trail.
The receiving rank logs arrival and sends the recipient an SMS. To collect, they show valid ID and enter the OTP. Signed, recorded, done.
02Every parcel, tracked
Every handover is logged. Both sender and recipient get status updates at each step - from drop-off at the sending rank through to collection at the other end.
03Pilot routes
High-frequency departures, established rank relationships, verified drivers. These four corridors are where R2R goes live first - chosen because the taxi traffic is already there.
04Service points
Three desks, one process. Any rank in the R2R network can send, dispatch, and receive parcels - the same way, every time.
Where it starts. The sender's rank agent captures all details, seals the parcel, and gets it logged in the system before anything else moves.
The handover between rank and road. The dispatch supervisor matches each parcel to an approved taxi on the right route and records the departure before the vehicle pulls out.
Where it ends. Receiving rank staff sign for the parcel from the driver, notify the recipient by SMS, then verify ID and OTP before releasing it to anyone.
06Policy foundation
The National Taxi Lekgotla 2020 - convened by industry leadership and the Department of Transport - put revenue diversification and formal value-chain ownership at the top of the agenda. R2R was built to answer both.
On fare-only revenue limits"The current business model of the taxi industry is fare revenue based with little or no diversification. It would be worthwhile for the industry to diversify its business and augment its revenue through alternate business opportunities." - Empowerment Model, National Taxi Lekgotla, Sept 2020
On the scale of the industry"South Africa's taxi industry is estimated to generate in excess of R50 billion per annum. However, the industry itself remains a consumer rather than owner of its value chain." - Empowerment Model, National Taxi Lekgotla, Sept 2020
On downstream value chains"The taxi industry must evolve from being a consumer to an industry that owns its value chain, both upstream and downstream. Downstream opportunities include maintenance of vehicles, distribution channels, supply of spare parts." - Empowerment Model, National Taxi Lekgotla, Sept 2020
On commuter reach"Today the Taxi Industry is a multi-billion Rand industry that carries over 60% of South Africa's commuters." R2R uses that same network - the same routes, the same vehicles, the same operators - to move parcels between ranks. - Unity & Leadership, National Taxi Lekgotla, Sept 2020
R2R is rolling out on pilot corridors across Gauteng, North West and Limpopo. We're talking to rank operators, taxi associations and dispatch agents who want in on the ground floor.
