Last updated: 20 July 2026
Refund & Cancellation Policy
This policy explains when Vaai (operated by VAAI (Pty) Ltd, registration number 2026/435857/07) issues refunds for rides booked through the Vaai app, how trip cancellations are charged, and how to raise a dispute. It should be read together with our Terms of Service and Pricing page.
1. Rider cancellations
- Cancelling within 3 minutes of requesting a trip is free.
- Cancelling after the 3-minute grace period, or after a driver has arrived at the pickup point, may incur a R20.00 cancellation fee to compensate the driver for time and travel.
- No cancellation fee applies if a driver fails to make reasonable progress toward pickup, or if you cancel because the driver requested you cancel or behaved inappropriately — contact support in these cases and any fee charged will be reversed.
2. No-shows
If a driver arrives at the pickup location and waits a reasonable period (shown in the app) without the rider appearing or responding, the trip may be marked a no-show and the cancellation fee applied.
3. Driver-initiated cancellations
If a driver cancels a confirmed trip, the rider is not charged anything and is automatically re-matched with another available driver where possible.
4. Overcharges and fare disputes
If you believe you were charged more than the fare quoted in the app, or were charged for a trip you did not take, contact support@vaai.taxi within 14 days of the charge with your trip ID (found in your trip history) and a description of the issue. We investigate every report and, where an overcharge is confirmed, refund the difference to your original payment method.
5. Failed or duplicate charges
If a payment fails to process correctly and you are charged more than once for the same trip, or charged without a completed trip, the duplicate charge is refunded automatically where our systems detect it, or on request to support otherwise.
6. How refunds are paid
Approved refunds are issued to the original card used for the transaction via our payment processor, Paystack. Refunds typically reflect on your statement within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank. Vaai does not hold or pay out refunds in cash.
7. Safety-related refunds
If a trip is cut short or affected by a safety incident (reported via the in-app panic button or to support@vaai.taxi), our Trust & Safety team reviews the incident and may issue a full or partial refund independently of the standard dispute window above.
8. Promotions and credits
Promotional credit, referral bonuses and vouchers are not redeemable for cash and expire as stated in the offer terms at the time they were issued.
9. Driver payouts and this policy
This policy covers rider-facing refunds. Driver earnings, commission deductions and payout timing are covered separately in the driver terms available in the Vaai Driver app.
10. Consumer rights
Nothing in this policy limits any right you may have under the South African Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA) or other applicable law. The CPA's cooling-off right (section 16) applies to transactions resulting from direct marketing — since you actively request each trip and it's carried out immediately at your request, that cooling-off right doesn't apply to a completed trip. This policy's cancellation and refund terms above apply instead.
11. Contact us
Questions about a charge or this policy: support@vaai.taxi.