Bolt adds new features to enhance drivers’, passengers safety

Riding platform, Bolt has introduced additional features on its driver’s app to enhance the safety and well-being of drivers, boda riders, and passengers during a trip.

The introduction of the driver scores and driver trip sharing features by Bolt will improve the safety of drivers on the platform as well as enforces Bolt’s commitment to drivers’ well-being thereby giving them more control over their ride performance.

The driver score feature is a transparent metric that allows drivers to better understand their in-app performance, encourages improvements in drivers’ habits and helps them aim to offer the best possible rider experience. The feature is designed to increase the quality of service, thus being at the core of a positive driver and rider experience.

Other new safety features include the driver trip sharing feature and the rider score feature which now allow drivers and riders on its platform to share their live trips as well as be able to rate their passengers.

The driver trip-sharing feature provides enhanced safety for drivers by allowing them to share the status of their live trips with a third party, who then has the opportunity to follow the trip status and location in real-time.

The trips are also tracked and monitored in real-time by Bolt throughout the journey.

“We are constantly looking to promote features and functionalities that improve the safety ecosystem of our app. Our core business is to provide sustainable, safe, and affordable mobility services to everyone,” said Kenneth Micah, Bolt’s Regional Manager, Eastern Africa.

Drivers share their trip details via a link that is automatically generated once they are on a trip.

The link is valid for the current trip, and drivers have to issue a new link for every trip if they feel necessary to do so. The links will also remain active for up to 48 hours for incomplete trips.

The trip-sharing feature functions in a similar way as the ‘Share your ETA feature’ on the passenger’s app which enables passengers to share their live trip details with emergency contact numbers, thereby bolstering safety throughout their journey.

Bolt has also introduced the rider score feature which enables drivers to rate their passengers after every trip.

When a passenger gets a significantly low rating, or an incident is reported by a driver, the company will conduct due diligence, and necessary actions shall be taken including the issuance of an in-app notification encouraging passengers to read the company’s terms and conditions again.

Ultimately, if a passenger’s behavior does not improve after that, Bolt shall block their respective accounts.

Other security features available on the Bolt app include the SOS emergency button that can be used to alert and seek security or medical assistance at any time during a Bolt trip, where a driver, a passenger, or another road user is in immediate danger.

Bolt also has a women-only category aiming to address safety needs and improve women’s mobility by connecting female drivers with female passengers.

Commenting on the new features, the Regional Manager for Bolt in West Africa, Ireoluwa Obatoki, said, “Drivers are core to our business, so we are always innovating to improve their experience on our platform. The new features we have introduced add to our in-app customer experience and are aimed at helping drivers have more control of their Bolt rides and maximise their earnings within a safe environment. The driver score and driver trip sharing features are in line with the entrepreneurial desires of the drivers and improve the overall user experience of the Bolt app.

We believe that drivers want to offer great services to riders. With the driver score feature, drivers can get constant feedback about their performance which will help them improve. The driver trip sharing feature on the other hand will act as a deterrent to people with potentially malicious intent against drivers on the Bolt platform. Overall, riders have the best chances of being paired with a driver who is committed to high-quality service,” she concluded.

The link generated with the driver trip sharing feature is valid for the current ride. Drivers must issue a new link for every ride if they feel necessary to do so. Links will remain active for up to 48 hours if a ride is not finished. Accessing a link after the ride is finished will notify the user that the link is expired. Driver score is calculated for every last 100 trips performed by a driver. By default, a driver starts off with the maximum possible score of 100 “good” trips. This score will be decreased if the app picks up behaviour that is against good practices or harmful to the rider.

Bolt continues to set the pace with driver experience initiatives in Nigeria’s ride-hailing sector. Recently, the leading mobility platform started the 2022 edition of its Driver’s League competition for new and existing drivers on the platform across Nigeria. The competition in its third edition is a driver support initiative aimed at celebrating top-performing drivers on the platform by rewarding winners with brand-new cars and other prizes to encourage service excellence. Overall winners will be rewarded with prizes of an overall value of N20 million including brand-new cars as well as home appliances.