In November 2023, online taxi platform – Bolt – purged over 5,000 drivers for not complying with safety guidelines.
However, ride hailing company realized that being more proactive in its measures would have a greater impact in transforming the sector into a reputable haven that customers can trust. Over the next three years, Bolt will invest KSh 14 billion in raising awareness of their safety features and scaling up preventive measures.
In an interview with The Kenyan Wall Street, Dimmy Kanyankole – General Manager Bolt Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya revealed some of the technological features that the company has deployed to guarantee the safety of both passengers and drivers.
“Safety needs to be an ongoing concern for everybody in the industry. When I think about ‘safety’, it is not just about incident management because that is the narrow view many people take, but it is about ‘are we being proactive,” Dimmy Kanyankole said.
Bolt introduced a feature that detects if an active trip has stopped for a while. Pop-up messages appear on both the driver and passengers’ devices inquiring if everything is alright. If either of the parties indicates that they are in danger, the feature alerts the company’s security team.
“On the flip side, if it was something like an accident and the driver is unconscious, you can quickly get an emergency ambulance and prevent further loss from that incident,” Kanyankole said.
The goal of this feature is preventive in that it alerts both passengers and drivers that help is always nearby, mitigating any chances for misbehaviour or, in case of emergencies, worse outcomes. Bolt’s safety team is made up of over 500 people who are constantly trained on how to refine their response skills.
The SOS Features
In situations of perceived danger or sudden emergencies, passengers are encouraged to click the SOS button, which remains active throughout every ride. Through the company’s partnership with Rescue.co, a dedicated field team will immediately reach out to the passenger. Based on the nature of the incident, either medical or security assistance will be dispatched to the passenger’s location within five minutes or less.
Through Bolt’s continuous engagement with drivers, the ride hailing company realized that some areas pose higher risks and are generally unsafe for operation. The company has mapped out regions that have prevalent criminal activity and sends prompt messages to riders before accepting rides from these locations. This alerts the driver and gives them an opportunity to make informed decisions and exercise more caution.
Bolt also allows passengers to share trips with friends to reduce the likelihood of an escalation between the driver and a customer. Riders can also choose to inform third parties discreetly or with the drivers’ knowledge.
“We value transparency because drivers on our platform are entrepreneurs. Therefore, we try as much as possible to provide enough information to our drivers, including the destination, elaborate route features, and the mode of payment the customer will use – so that they can make the informed call on whether they can make a trip,” Kanyankole said.
On Discounts
One of the most problematic causes of disagreement between drivers and customers is the discount issue. Whenever passengers get ride discounts, some riders tend to believe that their respective platforms will cheat them out of their dues. Dimmy Kanyankole denied this assumption and stated that drivers are refunded.
“Every trip discount given to a passenger is borne by the company. Bolt pays them for that. If a trip was Ksh 400 and there is a discount of Ksh 50, the driver will get that Ksh 50 from Bolt. It is not a reduction,” Kanyankole said.
“In terms of the price-trip structure, there is a split. The app company gets 18% and the driver gets 82%. The discounts are taken out of the commission the company takes. It is important for us to create awareness,” he added.
Bolt’s Plans
Bolt emphasizes that the spine of their safety imperative lies in assessing the drivers’ behavioral tendencies. When conducting background checks, strict attention is paid on the criminal and offences history of the drivers by requesting valid police clearance certificates, vehicle inspection certificates, and PSV licenses. Moreover, the company verifies the authenticity of these certificates to nab fraudulent creations.
“There are systems you can use to check if a license is valid or not. We use them to ensure that when onboarding our drivers, they are fully documented and as far as we can reasonably tell, suitable for our platforms,” Kanyankole said.
Bolt is also deliberating on ways to improve their drivers’ livelihoods amid a displeasurable climate in the sector. Dimmy Kanyankole believes that most drivers feel that they are not earning enough because they have to sort out many liabilities in the course of their hustle. For instance, drivers who use loaned cars are more likely to feel the weight of their financial obligations thus believing that their earnings are substantially less.
He is optimistic that these issues can be addressed by making it easy for interested riders to more affordably loan or rent vehicles for usage. This would involve engaging more stakeholders in the industry and collaborative partners who would enable these incentives.
“The industry is young, being in operation for less than 10 years. It is understandable that there are teething problems but if we keep working together then we will solve these big issues,” Dimmy Kanyankole said.
Furthermore, Bolt intends to popularize its ‘Bolt Business feature’ for corporate rides. The package has been instrumental in saving companies’ reimbursement costs for employee travels. To iterate the service, Bolt will heighten its standards of vetting drivers who can utilize the package.
The ride-hailing app is also focused on expanding its e-mobility packages this year by leveraging on its partnerships with local assemblies like Ampersand and Roam, as well as asset-financing companies like M-KOPA. Dimmy Kanyankole believes that the e-mobility options have a great impact in the global combat against climate change, as well as reducing fuel costs for riders.
“The beauty of an electric vehicle is that it is very good for the environment, as there is very minimal to no carbon emissions. There is also a lot of support and interest for e-mobility in Kenya, including from the government,” he said.
