Ride hailing is one of the fastest growing segments of Kenya’s transportation industry – however, shaking up an industry which contributes over $11B USD to the economy annually is no easy task.
Despite the rapid growth of ride hailing platforms and the employment of over 65,000 Kenyans, the sector has been plagued with issues on safety and security ever since its early days of operation. Stories of assault, harassment, and violence have made their way to the headlines in recent years but Kenya’s top ride hailing company is stepping up to tackle this challenge and is saying ‘no more.’
Bolt is taking a leading role to address issues of both passenger and driver safety – setting the industry standard for how ride hailing companies should manage and respond to safety incidents above and beyond the basic requirements set forth by Kenyan regulations.
Having invested over 20 million Shillings in its safety measures and discontinued over 5,000 non-compliant drivers in recent months, Bolt has gone even further and has been rolling out new features and requirements that have been designed to make the experience of all Bolt stakeholders safer.
What steps has Bolt taken to ensure riders are safer?
- •Drivers must undergo a rigorous screening and onboarding process which includes the requirement to submit a valid Police Clearance Certificate.
- •Driver selfie check features require that all drivers take a selfie each day before driving in order to ensure that there is no sharing of accounts or driver impersonations.
- •Driver and car verification measures so that riders can ensure that the vehicle and driver picking them up, match the details on the app.
Bolt currently has over 50,000 driver partners and couriers using the platform and operating across Kenya’s major cities including Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa.
Not all safety incidents within the ride-hailing industry originate from the driver, there have been previous incidents of violence, fraud, and failure to pay on the end of riders too. What steps has Bolt taken to ensure drivers are safer?
- •If either party receives a low rating, Bolt will ensure the two are never paired together again and if one receives multiple low ratings, Bolt will move to eliminate the violating party from their platform entirely.
- •Currently in its trial phase, Bolt launched a rider selfie check which will require riders to upload a recent selfie to ensure transparency of the rider.
- •Alerts are in place notifying drivers of trips beginning or ending in ‘high-risk’ areas flagged for safety concerns so that drivers can make informed decisions.
The addition of these safety features is revolutionizing the ride-hailing industry in Kenya, addressing issues many have been calling out for years. One new feature that benefits both the drivers and the riders is the Emergency SOS functionality.
For example, if a rider is in distress, they can quickly click the SOS button on the Bolt app and they will receive a call from the Bolt Emergency Management Team who will then offer further assistance depending on the nature of the incident. This can include dispatching emergency care services or a security team to the scene.. This proactivity by Bolt is a strong step in the right direction to ensure that the ride-hailing experience is safe and reliable.
Bolt’s investment in these new safety initiatives are strengthening the trust between the company and both its riders and drivers. Beyond functionality, a key aspect of Bolt’s safety strategy includes building close relationships with law enforcement agencies and industry regulators.
This collaboration establishes a line of communication between law enforcement officers and Bolt Kenya to more effectively respond to safety issues and better pursue justice in the case of incidents while also contributing necessary data for investigations.
Bolt Kenya’s Country Manager, Linda Ndungu told The Kenyan Wall Street in an interview, “as responsible stewards trusted by thousands each day to transport them to and from work, school, and other activities, we must ensure a safe experience for all of our stakeholders: riders and drivers alike.”
Bolt has in-app feedback features for both riders and drivers to make recommendations and share thoughts on how to improve the platform while also maintaining and regularly reviewing feedback submitted to its [email protected] email address.
With all these changes and more, Bolt is clearly taking public feedback seriously and is stepping up to address industry-wide concerns around safety and security.