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  • Safety at Bolt is about more than features in an app, it requires an end-to-end approach across the business. That’s why Bolt’s Safety Team of over 500 people works relentlessly towards its safety goals, with Safety Specialists and Experts coming together to tackle some of the most complex challenges in ride-hailing. 

    The team’s core based in Bolt’s Tallinn HQ includes Safety Experts specially trained in product development, engineering, and operations. Bolt’s Safety Specialists work as part of the 24/7 Customer Support Team, supporting customers around the world from Bolt’s Safety Hubs in Portugal, Azerbaijan, Thailand, Nigeria, Kenya, and Poland. 

    For the Bolt Safety Team, working in safety is more than a job; it’s a passion, a duty of care, and a shared commitment to doing what’s right. They share a common mission to ensure that Bolt’s services have a positive impact and to drive incidents down across all markets. 

    Approach

    Bolt’s Safety Team is responsible for developing, operating, and communicating a range of safeguarding features and support capabilities at Bolt. Their strategy hinges on a three-pronged approach leveraging prevention before a trip, monitoring during, and support tools after a trip. 

    To help prevent safety cases before they happen, the team develops and uses a number of trip verification features to help address the critical role of mutual trust between driver partners and riders in the safety of the platform. These include Driver Selfie Checks, Rider Rating, and Rider Verification.

    To help driver partners and riders feel more comfortable during an active trip, the team has developed monitoring tools available through Bolt’s in-app Safety Toolkit. These include Ride Check, Share Location, Emergency Assist, and Record Audio. 

    For example, with Ride Check, the team can proactively detect whether a vehicle is stopped for too long, and will automatically engage with the rider and driver in-app to confirm everything is okay. If one of them confirms they need assistance, the feature will also provide them with the option to directly call emergency services, share the trip, record the audio or request Bolt Assistance with one touch via the in-app notification.

    After a trip ends, Safety Specialists take every step to support driver partners and riders with safety cases 24/7 and ensure all appropriate measures to prevent a similar case from happening in the future are taken. 

    Partnership 

    This all supports the team’s work in partnership with external experts to help address and raise awareness of safety issues. For example, Bolt organises community events and engagements to share local information and updates.

    See here what you need to know about the Bolt Safety Team.

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  • There are more than 23 million people living in Lagos. So how best do you decongest? Extort, sorry tax people! In the space of four days, the Lagos State government has come up with barrage of taxes aimed at sending everyone back to their villages. Here’s the tea:

    First, there is the new taxes on e-hailing companies. Techcabal has a full load down, but the long and short of it include the facts that:

    1. There is a blanket N10 million operating fee for every 1,000 e-hailing taxis – Think Uber, Bolt, etc. There’s also an annual renewal fee of N5 million.
    2. 10% of every transaction paid by every customer will also be collected as a service tax.

    Of course, who bears the brunt of those taxes, you guessed right, you.

    The State also announced that a 5% levy will be charged on all audio and visual contents produced and sold within the state. The Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board (LSFVCB) has given a one-month ultimatum to content creators, after which defaulters have been told they will severely sanctioned.

    WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

    Make no mistake, taxes are civic duties that must be discharged. In fact, research shows that civic engagement increases in societies with higher tax remittances. But what is particularly curious with Nigerian governments is the urge to milk the populace dry once they are in financially cash-strapped.It’s 2020. There’s been a pandemic for the literally the entire year. How about we brainstorm on how the already financially handicapped citizens can get back on their feet, and then see how we impose taxes on a wealthy populace. And we had the exact same issue with the NIPOST fee.

    But no, government get coconut head.

  • If you’re a Nigerian that uses ride-hailing apps like Uber and Bolt to get around, then you know that it comes with its own fair share of stress — from clueless drivers to unwarranted surges.

    Here are 13 things you have undoubtedly experienced:

    1. When you’re about to order a ride and you see a surge.

    Which scam is this again?

    2. You, switching through apps to find the cheapest ride:

    Even if it’s just N50 cheaper.

    3. When the driver that accepts is “completing another trip”.

    Why did you now give me this one?

    4. When the driver accepts your ride then refuses to move.

    Gombe state 100 computers

    What the hell?

    5. When the driver’s rating is lower than 4.0.

    Not today, Satan.

    6. “Hope it’s a cash trip.”

    Ugh. The worst.

    7. “What’s your destination?”

    Why does that matter, abeg?

    8. How they look at you when you sit at the back:

    No vex.

    9. When the driver starts trying to gist with you.

    Please, free me.

    10. When the driver is asking you for directions.

    Use your map oh.

    11. When the driver takes the longest possible route.

    What nonsense is this?

    12. You, calculating your fare when you get stuck in traffic.

    I’m dead.

    13. “Don’t forget my 5 stars.”

    Don’t stress me.