Bolt, leading ride-hailing platform in South Africa has amended the Women-Only category to now enable cash trips between 6 AM – 6PM. The category which was previously only available to women passengers who paid for trips by card. Through this move, Bolt believes this shift will supplement drivers income whether they drive full-time or part-time on the platform.
Bolt Women-Only operating hours are applicable in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Emalahleni, Mbombela, Mthatha, Pietermaritzburg, Thohoyandou, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, East London and Rustenburg.
Country Manager for South Africa, Takura Malaba explains that “Following extensive engagements with female driver partners, we have decided to make the cash option visible to passengers as cash remains king in our market. Furthermore, new data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2020/21 suggests that in low to middle income countries such as South Africa, 17% of women are entrepreneurs, and 35% aspire to become self-employed. This suggests that more than half of the women in developing countries see entrepreneurship as the key to a better life compared to 25% of those in first world countries. We believe that the Bolt platform provides women with the freedom to be entrepreneurs in their own right”
In an effort to illustrate commitment to safety, Bolt has implemented a number of safety measures, which the safety team continues to evaluate and monitor. Bolt continues to develop new features to its already comprehensive safety measures for drivers and passengers that use the platform. These include an in-app integrated SOS emergency button, 24/7 customer support to share feedback, queries through the in-app function or by sending an email to southafrica@bolt.eu.
