AARTO is coming to 151 more towns. Is yours already on the system?

AARTO, the traffic fine system that replaces court-based fines with an administrative process, is still running in only 62 municipalities. The next phase, which covers 151 more, has no start date yet, BusinessTech reported on 29 October 2026.

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has confirmed phase 3 is still coming but gave no timeline (BusinessTech). In a written reply to Parliament dated 15 October, she said phase 2 started on 1 July 2026 in 62 municipalities and would be followed by phase 3 for "the remaining municipalities", then phase 4, the points demerit system.

When does AARTO phase 3 start?

There is no official date. The Road Traffic Infringement Agency's (RTIA) 2026/27 annual performance plan targets the start of the wider rollout in the third quarter of its financial year, which runs from October to December 2026 (BusinessTech).

The rollout has slipped before. Phase 2 was meant to start on 1 December 2025 and phase 3 on 1 April 2026, with full rollout by 1 September 2026 (BusinessTech, TopAuto). A new phase only takes effect once the President signs a proclamation listing the municipalities, as happened for phase 2 in Government Gazette 54917 on 29 June 2026.

Is AARTO already live in my town?

Check the table. These are the 62 areas where AARTO has applied since 1 July 2026. Johannesburg and Tshwane were already on the old AARTO system and got the amended version on the same day (Arrive Alive). No Western Cape municipality is on the list, so Cape Town, Stellenbosch and George are not yet covered.

Sources: Proclamation 322 of 2026, Government Gazette 54917, Arrive Alive.

When will demerit points start?

The minister said the points demerit system comes only after AARTO covers the whole country (PMG). The RTIA plans to start issuing demerit notices in 2027/28, which BusinessTech reads as no points before April 2027 (BusinessTech). So for now, nobody in South Africa is losing points on their licence.

What changes when AARTO reaches you?

A fine under AARTO is called an infringement notice. You can get it at the roadside, by post or electronically (RTIA).

• Pay within 32 days and you get a 50% discount (RTIA).
• If you think the fine is unfair, you can make a written representation to the RTIA on an AARTO 08 form (RTIA).
• Ignore it and costs go up. An enforcement order can eventually block your driving licence and licence disc renewals on eNaTIS until you deal with it (RTIA).

Check any AARTO fine yourself at online.aarto.gov.za, the only official AARTO site, and don't pay through links in SMSes or emails. Reported covered the fake AARTO fine scam.