Bolt Launches Safety Feature To Monitor Stalled Trips

Bolt, an on-demand mobility company in Africa has rolled out new Trip Safety Monitoring features for ride-hailing vehicles, offering drivers and riders more support from their dedicated in-house specially trained safety team.

Bolt can now automatically engage with riders and drivers in-app when a vehicle remains still for too long to confirm everything is okay. The feature will provide drivers and riders 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.

Bolt announced plans to roll out even more Trip Safety Monitoring features including route deviation and delayed ride completion. This is all part of the company’s ongoing investment in upgrades to safety features on its platform, enabling Bolt to provide more support for drivers and riders, and helping to identify and deter improper driver and rider behaviour.

The Bolt App has additional features that help ensure the safety of Bolt trips for drivers and riders. These include in-app Safety Toolkit features like trip sharing that allows for real-time location sharing with friends and family. Within the App, there is also an Emergency Assist button to help riders quickly and discreetly alert emergency services or private security partners if they ever feel uncomfortable during a ride.

Linda Ndungu, Country Manager, Bolt Kenya said: “At Bolt, safety remains a core priority. We consistently dedicate resources to introduce innovative products and features aimed at enhancing the safety framework of the Bolt app. This ensures that both drivers and riders enjoy a superior ride-hailing experience. Our most recent enhancement involves the introduction of new Trip Safety Monitoring features, a significant step forward in our continuous journey towards facilitating seamless support for drivers and riders during a Bolt trip. This update is designed to empower users to easily identify and report any unusual occurrences, ultimately deterring undesirable outcomes during the trip.”

The rollout of Bolt’s new Trip Safety Monitoring features is part of a longer-term upgrade of stationary vehicle monitoring, supporting Bolt’s dedicated safety team’s ongoing efforts to identify anything out of the ordinary once a trip starts.

Recently, Bolt launched the Driver Selfie Check feature which provides enhanced safety for users on the Bolt platform as it allows the verification of the drivers to avoid cases of impersonation and deter drivers from sharing their accounts. Once a driver goes online, they are prompted to take a selfie to verify their identity. Should the selfie not match previously shared driver details, the driver will be restricted from offering their services on the platform until their details are verified.

The new safety features follows the renewal of Bolt’s license by Kenya’s  National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) in October after the company proactively suspended its controversial 5% booking.