E-hailing taxi service Uber made a commitment earlier this year to focus on making the lives of its drivers easier and safer.
This amid controversy that the company was not doing enough to combat violence from meter-cab taxi drivers, as well as allegations that drivers were not being paid enough.
The latest feature sees drivers being paid extra if they have to wait for passengers who are running late.
Alon Lits, Uber Sub-Saharan Africa GM, says: "Over the last few months, we've spent a lot of time listening to and engaging with over 12 000 driver-partners across South Africa, hearing what they care about when using the Uber app.
"The feedback we got was monumental and driver-partners have been very clear on what they need. Based on these discussions, we will be rolling out products that can address three keys areas: more flexibility for drivers when it comes to when they want to use Uber, using our technology to create a stress-free experience, and building on safety."
The new feature, called Paid Time Wait, pays drivers for extra time they have to wait for passengers, after five minutes of arriving at the pick-up location.
Uber says where the service is available in South African cities, the arrival time has been reduced to just minutes, so there is no need for riders to order an Uber until they are ready to leave.
"The Paid Wait Time feature is a simple addition that riders will be able to quickly adapt to, but importantly, it makes a big difference to driver-partners' efficiency and contributes to that stress-free experience that we aim to achieve," says Lits.
Last month, the company added some of the most requested features to the driver side of the app, which will give driver-partners more control of when, where and how they drive. The four new features were arrival destination and time, long trip notification, a 'no thanks' button and rating protection.
Uber also recently added 'driver share my trip', a safety feature that allows drivers to share their whereabouts and trip status with friends and family.
The company says it will continuously upgrade the app to address driver concerns.
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