Key facts
- What it is
- An electronic driver nomination (AARTO 07 process) that moves an infringement from the registered owner's record to the responsible driver's record.
- Who can nominate
- The registered owner or operator of the vehicle, for a notice served on the owner, within the prescribed period.
- What cannot be nominated
- Operator offences (loading, fitness, goods transport) and notices served personally on a driver.
- Cost with FineHub
- Unlimited redirections included in the fleet subscription at R50 per vehicle per month excl. VAT.
- Legal basis
- AARTO Act 46 of 1998 and AARTO Regulations 2026, regulation 6 (nomination of driver).
An introduction to AARTO
The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act (AARTO) replaces the old practice of a company quietly paying its drivers' fines. Under AARTO, paying a fine is an admission of the infringement by the person who pays. Fines issued to a vehicle registered to a business are the business's problem until they are dealt with, and once the demerit points system is in force, points will follow the person responsible: the driver for driver offences, the operator card for operator offences.
That changes the economics of a fine. A fine the company pays is money gone and, in future, points against the company's operator card. A fine redirected to the driver inside the window is neither.
Your legal duty as a registered owner
A business that owns vehicles must know who was driving each vehicle at any given time. When an infringement notice is served on the owner, the owner may nominate the actual driver, and the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) then moves the infringement to that driver's record. The nomination must identify a specific, verified person: the driver's details, licence number and a declaration that they were in control of the vehicle at the time. A nomination is a legal statement, and nominating the wrong person exposes the nominating party to civil and criminal consequences.
The problem at scale
For a fleet of fifty vehicles, redirections are a weekly chore. For a fleet of five hundred, they are a full-time job with deadlines attached. Notices arrive by post, email and sometimes in a driver's cubby hole. Each one has to be matched to a trip, a driver and a licence number; submitted on the correct form within the prescribed period; tracked for the RTIA's response; and filed with proof. Miss the window and the fine escalates: the discount is lost, a courtesy letter adds fees, and an unresolved notice can become an enforcement order that blocks licence-disc renewals for the whole entity.
How FineHub redirections work
- The notice is detected. FineHub retrieves it electronically from the authority, or you upload a handwritten notice.
- The driver is identified. Regular-driver records and trip data are matched to the vehicle, date and time on the notice. You confirm the driver and licence number.
- You approve the redirection. One click on the fine record. Unlimited for subscribed vehicles.
- FineHub submits the nomination electronically to the RTIA, inside the deadline, with the required driver details.
- The fine moves to the driver's record and the submission, the authority's response and the confirmed outcome are stored against the fine as your audit record.
Why fleets redirect with FineHub
AARTO compliance
Nominations are submitted through official RTIA channels, on the correct form, inside the prescribed period.
Minutes, not weeks
Electronic submission on approval, with the response tracked for you.
Full audit trail
Every nomination, response and outcome recorded per fine, per entity, for your auditors and insurers.
Driver accountability
Separate company and driver reporting so repeat infringers are visible and recovery is clean.
Operator verification before nomination
The nominating party is responsible for the accuracy of the nomination. Before approving a redirection, confirm the driver's identity, the vehicle, and the date and time of the offence against your own records. Keep trip sheets, telematics and driver allocation records; they are the evidence if a driver disputes the nomination. Written driver consent is also required before an employer may access an individual's point information once the demerit system is in force.
AARTO rollout timeline
| Phase | Date | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 1 December 2025 – 30 June 2026 | Johannesburg and Tshwane, the two existing implementation areas. |
| Phase 2 | 1 July 2026 | 60 additional municipalities under Proclamation 322 of 2026, bringing the total to 62 issuing authorities. Full list. |
| Phase 3 | To be proclaimed | Demerit points, disqualification and rehabilitation (sections 24–28). Excluded from the July 2026 commencement; verify the commencement notice before relying on points rules. |
What redirections cost
Nothing beyond the subscription. FineHub is a subscription service for fleets; there are no credit packs and no pay-per-redirection option.
| Option | Price (excl. VAT) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fleet subscription, unlimited redirections | R50 / vehicle / month | Every business fleet. Includes tracking, notifications, BRNC and proxy administration and monthly reporting. |
| Settlement or revocation application | R95 per matter | Only when a fine is paid or a revocation is lodged. Redirections are never charged per matter. |
Redirections are available to subscribed fleets only. Volume pricing applies from 500 vehicles. Full pricing.
Redirection FAQs
What happens if the wrong driver is nominated?
Nominating the wrong person carries civil and criminal risk for the nominating party. The operator remains responsible for verifying the driver, the vehicle and the time of the offence before a nomination is submitted. FineHub matches notices to your regular-driver and trip records to reduce the risk, but the nomination is yours; verify before you approve.
Can a driver dispute a redirected fine?
Yes. Once the fine is on the driver's record the driver has the same rights as any infringer: to pay, to make a representation to the RTIA, or to apply for revocation.
How long does a redirection take?
FineHub submits the electronic nomination within minutes of your approval. The authority's processing time varies; FineHub tracks the response and records the confirmed outcome.
What if the fine has already been paid?
A paid fine is an admission and cannot be redirected afterwards. FineHub does not process refunds or adjustments on paid fines, which is why notices should be redirected before anyone pays.
Can every fine be redirected?
No. Only driver infringements on notices served on the owner can be nominated, and only within the applicable period. Operator offences such as overloading, vehicle fitness and goods-transport duties attach to the operator and must be handled on the company account. A notice served personally on a driver cannot be nominated back to the owner.
Does redirecting a fine protect the company from demerit points?
Under the AARTO points framework, points follow the person responsible. A valid nomination places the infringement, and any points that apply once the system is in force, on the driver's record rather than the operator card. Paying a fine on a driver's behalf does the opposite: it is treated as an admission by the person who pays.
How many redirections are included?
Unlimited electronic redirections are included in the R50 per vehicle per month subscription for every subscribed vehicle. There is no per-redirection charge and no credit system.