• Yaoundé will require all licensed taxis and drivers to register digitally and obtain a unique digital identifier.
• The reform will create a centralized database using the Taxi-Yaoundé.com platform to improve traceability, security and transport governance.
• Authorities will impound any unregistered taxi operating in the capital after the registration campaign ends on Oct. 5.

Cameroon has launched a digital identification system for taxis operating in Yaoundé as authorities seek to modernize urban mobility, strengthen regulation and improve oversight of the capital's transport sector.

Yaoundé Mayor Luc Messi Atangana signed a decree on Thursday, June 25, making digital registration mandatory for taxi owners and drivers operating in the Cameroonian capital. The reform establishes a centralized database and assigns a unique mandatory digital identifier to every taxi and driver to improve sector-wide traceability.

The system operates through the Taxi-Yaoundé.com platform, which the Yaoundé Urban Community developed with technical support from Germany's development agency GIZ. Each registered driver will receive a personal QR code, while each vehicle will receive a unique door number that will replace existing identification markings. The municipal decree states that authorities will use the collected data exclusively to modernize, secure and digitize urban transport.

The registration requirement applies to all yellow taxis holding a first-category urban transport license and operating within Yaoundé's municipal boundaries. Owners and drivers must submit several administrative documents, including proof of identity, transport permits, vehicle registration documents, insurance certificates and roadworthiness inspection records. The municipality said it will keep the information confidential and restrict access to authorized government services.

The reform builds on efforts that Yaoundé has pursued for several years to modernize urban mobility. Taxis remain the city's primary mode of daily transportation, and authorities aim to better organize a sector that informal operators largely dominate. The city expects the initiative to improve service quality, strengthen passenger safety and enhance transport governance.

The launch of the Taxi-Yaoundé platform also forms part of the Yaoundé Urban Mobility Project, which several international partners support.

Beyond administrative modernization, the reform addresses persistent security challenges in urban transport. Authorities expect the digital identification system to simplify inspections, reduce fraud, improve monitoring of authorized vehicles and strengthen passenger protection. The centralized database could also support better transport planning in the metropolitan area, which is home to more than 4 million people.

Authorities will conduct the registration campaign from July 3 to Oct. 5 at Yaoundé Urban Community offices and district council offices. After the registration period ends, authorities will systematically impound any taxi operating in Yaoundé without digital registration, in accordance with the municipal decree.

This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya

Adapted in English by Ange J. A de Berry Quenum