Fastway Couriers
Franchise-model courier with a satchel pricing system that beats most door-to-door rates for small parcels.
Fastway Couriers operates a franchise network across South Africa — local franchisees own their territory and pickups, while the inter-regional linehaul moves through a central trunk. The headline pricing model is the pre-paid satchel: you buy a fixed-size satchel, anything that fits and is under the weight limit ships at the satchel price.
This is genuinely cheap for small parcels — Fastway is often the lowest live rate on the DeliverAI comparison for sub-2kg shipments. The trade-off is that satchels constrain dimensions, and rural service quality varies by franchise area. Larger or non-standard parcels move on parcel rates which are competitive but less aggressive than the satchel.
Fastway is now part of the Aramex SA group but operates as a separate retail brand.
Profile last verified 2026-07-29. Pricing changes monthly — always check the live rate on /compare for your specific route.
Fastway Couriers services & tiers
| Service | ETA | From | What it’s for | Live quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local (within town) | Same / next business day | From R60 | Within-franchise-zone delivery. | Get quote → |
| Regional | 1–2 business days | From R75 | Within a province or to adjacent provinces. | Get quote → |
| National | 2–4 business days | From R95 | Cross-country door-to-door, cheapest national tier. | Get quote → |
Fastway Couriers pricing examples (2026)
| Scenario | Indicative price | Service tier | Live quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| JHB → CPT · 2kg · National | ~R95 | National | Get quote → |
| JHB → CPT · 5kg · National | ~R135 | National | Get quote → |
| JHB → DBN · 2kg · National | ~R85 | National | Get quote → |
| JHB metro · 2kg · Local | ~R60 | Local | Get quote → |
| CPT → PE · 3kg · Regional | ~R95 | Regional | Get quote → |
Prices indicative for 2026. Live rates available via DeliverAI’s /compare for routes where Fastway Couriers is integrated.
Fastway Couriers service signals & sustainability
Carbon
0.50 kg CO₂ / km
lcv diesel
Fastway Couriers coverage in South Africa
Metro same-day
Limited — same-day depends on local franchise; main metros usually next-day.
National next-day
Most main routes 1–3 days, not guaranteed next-day.
Rural reach
Strong franchise network in smaller towns; some deep rural areas not directly served.
Fastway Couriers API & integrations
- Has public API: Yes
- API type: REST quote API
- Live on DeliverAI: Yes — real-time rates on /compare
DeliverAI shows live Fastway rates. Fastway operates on a colour-coded franchise zone system — pricing depends on zone-to-zone routing.
Fastway Couriers pros & cons
Pros
- Usually the cheapest door-to-door national tier for small parcels
- Strong franchise network in smaller towns
- Live API integration
- Simple zone-based pricing
Cons
- No same-day metro service
- Transit times less reliable than DPD / Aramex
- Coverage gaps in some deep-rural areas
- No locker option
Fastway Couriers — in depth
Fastway is a franchise-based courier originally founded in New Zealand, now operating across multiple markets. In South Africa they run a colour-coded zone system where pricing depends on origin and destination franchise zones rather than literal kilometres.
For sub-5 kg parcels going door-to-door anywhere in the country, Fastway is often the cheapest option from a tier-1 operator. National pricing typically starts around R95 for 2 kg — competitive with TCG's PUDO L2L tier, but with door-to-door delivery rather than locker collection.
Where Fastway falls short: speed and reliability on time-critical sends. Their 1–4 day national window is usually 2–3 days in practice, but with less consistency than DPD Laser or Aramex Overnight. For an ecommerce shipper sending non-urgent parcels, that's an acceptable trade-off for the price. For B2B documents or high-value time-critical shipments, it's not.
API and integration: Fastway has a public quote API which DeliverAI uses for live rate retrieval. Tracking is per-franchise so customer experience varies slightly by zone.
Frequently asked questions about Fastway Couriers
Is Fastway cheaper than The Courier Guy?
For door-to-door, often yes — Fastway national rates are typically R10–R30 cheaper per parcel than TCG Overnight Express. But TCG PUDO locker-to-locker is usually cheaper than both. Best to compare on your exact route via DeliverAI.
Does Fastway deliver same-day?
Not as a guaranteed product. Local same-day is sometimes possible within a single franchise zone if booked early, but Fastway is primarily a 1–4 day operator. For guaranteed same-day, use Uber Connect, Bolt Send or DPD Laser SDX.
How does the Fastway zone system work?
Fastway divides SA into colour-coded franchise zones. Pricing depends on origin zone → destination zone, not on actual distance. Within the same zone is cheapest (Local); across the country is National.
See Fastway Couriers’s rate against 17 other SA couriers
Pricing varies by route, parcel size and urgency. The fastest way to know if Fastway Couriers is your best option is to run your actual route on DeliverAI’s comparison.
Compare on a real route →