Bolt, which offers mobility services across Europe and Africa has launched a pilot of its service in Harare, Zimbabwe today with more than 300 drivers ready to start accepting hire services.
Zimbabwe will be the third country for Bolt in Southern Africa. Bolt’s entry into Zimbabwe marks its Southern African expansion, following its recent pilot in Zambia and successful operations in South Africa.
Offering ride-hailing for both individual and Bolt Business for corporate needs, Bolt’s foray into Zimbabwe underscores its commitment to advancing mobility in the region.
Drivers registered to the Bolt platform can earn money by accepting hire services through the application. To become a partner Bolt driver, a person has to have a car or motorbike and all necessary licenses required by the local regulations.
For a minimum of 6 months, Bolt in Harare commits to charging drivers no commission for using the platform.
Laurent Koerge, Head of Expansion at Bolt, said: “We are excited to be piloting our services in Zimbabwe. Our goal is not only to offer our drivers higher revenues per hire, but also to ensure a high demand due to competitive prices. Accordingly, our commission is significantly lower than that of our competitors.”
Bolt’s safety features
SOS button: it allows riders and drivers to get in contact with the police by simply pushing a button.
Share my ride: this feature enables riders and drivers to share a link with their real-time journey information.
In-app calls: in-app calls and messaging will be available on the app so phone numbers of riders and drivers will not have to be disclosed unless necessary.
Driver unmatching: If a rider or driver rates their trip with one star, they will be automatically unmatched from that rider or driver.
Bolt is easy to use: customers download the secure and free Bolt app from Apple App Store or Google Play Store and set up a user profile. When customers are ready to ride, they simply open the app, set their location and their intended destination. The app then gives an upfront cost estimate for the trip. Once customers accept the cost estimate, the app alerts drivers nearby who accept the ride.
Once a driver has accepted the ride, customers can see their driver’s details and can track the driver in real time — making it easy to be sure that they get safely into the correct vehicle with the correct driver. When the ride is complete, payment is made in cash.
