Yaoundé makes digital taxi registration mandatory by october 5

The municipal authorities in Yaoundé are taking decisive steps to regulate the city’s taxi sector through mandatory digital registration.

According to Luc Messi, Mayor of Yaoundé, the new system—enforced by a municipal decree on June 25, 2026—requires all taxi owners and drivers operating in the capital to register digitally. Each registered vehicle will receive a unique door number, which will serve as its official identifier going forward.

Until now, taxi door numbers were often hand-painted by local printers without any standardized security measures, leaving ample room for fraud and unchecked operations.

Catherine Kalisa, technical advisor for the Green Mobility Project in Yaoundé and architect of the digital platform, emphasizes the system’s benefits: “This digital registry will enable the city to maintain a secure and transparent database of all taxis, effectively modernizing urban transport oversight.”

The registration process kicked off with a small group of drivers, marking the beginning of a city-wide transition. However, not everyone is convinced. Jacques Didi, a local taxi driver, voices skepticism: “Instead of addressing critical road infrastructure issues, the authorities are introducing a QR code system they claim will control and secure taxi drivers. I doubt this will gain real traction.”

Patrice Samen, a prominent figure in Cameroon’s transport union, sees the initiative as a long-overdue solution to eradicate unlicensed and clandestine taxi operations: “Finally, the government is listening to our repeated calls. We’ve been demanding action against unlicensed drivers daily. All taxi drivers must now comply with registration to legitimize their services.”

Deadline and enforcement

The digital registration period concludes on October 5. After this deadline, Mayor Messi warns that unregistered taxi owners and drivers will face penalties, reinforcing the city’s commitment to a regulated transport sector.