Bolt Commits €100 Million to Enhance Safety Measures in Ride-Hailing in Africa

Bolt has announced a €100 million commitment over the next three years to improve safety measures on its ride-hailing platform.

The funding will support Bolt’s Safety Team in product development, customer support, and expanding safety tools across the platform to help prevent incidents.

Why it matters

Safety has become a top priority for ride-hailing platforms, especially in regions where riders and drivers face elevated risks. Bolt’s investment aims to build trust, improve response times, and make its platform safer globally.

Details

• Dedicated Safety Team: Over 500 specialists worldwide work in Safety Hubs, with 24/7 customer support. Product development and engineering are driven from Bolt’s headquarters in Tallinn, Estonia.

New Safety Features:

• Trip Verification: New trip counts and unique four-digit pickup codes to confirm driver-rider matches.
• Ride Check Enhancements: Alerts for unexpected route changes or delays.
• Rider Verification: Scaling identity checks for riders to reduce security risks.
• Trusted Contacts: Riders can set contacts who get notifications if their ride seems off-track.
• Audio Recording: Enables riders to submit audio with support tickets for safety investigations.

What they’re saying

“Our commitment of €100 million over three years reflects our end-to-end approach to safety,” said Simo Kalajdzic, Bolt’s Senior Operations Manager.

“We’re focusing on product development and support, and raising awareness of our safety tools to prevent incidents before they occur.”

Context

Gauteng MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, welcomed Bolt’s move, highlighting its importance amid South Africa’s ongoing fight against gender-based violence.

Gauteng, South Africa’s most populous province, has higher-than-average crime levels, making safety efforts in ride-hailing essential.

• “Safety in the e-hailing industry is both a social and an economic imperative for us,” Maile said, applauding Bolt’s targeted safety initiatives.

What’s next

Bolt will roll out new features in the coming months and continue to collaborate with safety experts, including the Automobile Association of South Africa, to build awareness of its in-app Emergency Assist and other safety features, aiming to improve safety across key markets like South Africa.