Bolt Introduces New Features to Enhance Drivers’ Safety

A major ride-hailing platform, Bolt, in a bid to expand the overall customer experience of ride-hailing drivers in Nigeria,introduced driver scores and driver trip sharing features which will improve the safety of drivers on the platform. The introduced features which further enforces Bolt’s commitment to drivers’ well-being, will give 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 quality of service, thus being at the core of positive driver and rider experience.

The driver trip sharing feature which adds an extra layer of safety for drivers allows them to share a link with their real-time journey information. The link can be shared by Email, SMS, or via instant messaging apps and enables any third party with access to the link to track and follow the driver’s ride status and location in real time.

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 potential 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 practises or harmful towards 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.