Bolt adds faster, cheaper and hourly ride options in Kenya

Three new ways to book in Kenya

Bolt has added three ride categories to its app in Kenya, letting riders trade price against waiting time or hire a car by the hour. The options are called Priority, Wait and Save, and Ride by Hour, and the company announced them on Thursday, 29 October.

For riders in Kenya, booking now involves a choice. They can pay a premium to be matched with a driver sooner, accept a longer wait for a cheaper fare, or keep a car for a set period while they make several stops. According to local reports, all three can be selected in the Bolt app alongside the categories already on offer.

Dimmy Kanyankole, Bolt's senior general manager for rides in East Africa, said the categories give customers "more control over how they travel", TechTrendsKE reported. He said the company was also trying to help drivers reach more trips and spend less time idle.

Paying more, or waiting longer

Priority is for riders who need a quick pick-up and will pay more for it. Bolt said it could suit time-sensitive trips such as journeys to meetings, flights or appointments, according to Nairobi Wire. TechTrendsKE reported that Priority runs alongside standard rides and does not replace them.

Drivers are not obliged to take Priority jobs. They can still accept or decline the requests, the company said. Bolt told Kenyans.co.ke the category gives drivers access to higher-value trips.

Wait and Save works the other way round. Riders get a lower fare in exchange for waiting longer, particularly at busy times when demand is high. Bolt said the option is aimed at people who are not in a hurry and could bring in customers who would otherwise put off a trip when fares go up, according to Nairobi Wire.

A car by the hour

Ride by Hour lets customers book a car for one or two hours at a fixed hourly rate. The charge depends on time rather than distance. It is meant for trips with several stops, such as shopping, errands and business visits.

Africa Business Communities reported that the hourly booking carries no extra charge per stop while it lasts. Bolt said the model gives drivers more predictable earnings for the booked period. It said it could also cut down on disputes between riders and drivers over waiting time and extra stops.

Bolt did not give fares for any of the three categories in its announcement.

Subscriptions and a court ruling

The new categories come shortly after another product launch in Kenya. Africa Business Communities reported that Bolt introduced Bolt Plus earlier in October. It is a subscription that offers cashback on rides and free food delivery.

The launch also coincided with a legal setback in the same market. On 29 October, the Business Daily reported that Kenya's High Court had ordered Bolt to put Toyota Sienta vehicles back into its XL category. The court found the company had violated drivers' rights by removing the cars without a hearing or written reasons. Bolt had argued that the Sienta did not have enough passenger space or luggage capacity for XL, the paper said.

Electric rides and robotaxi plans

Elsewhere, Bolt has added an electric vehicle category to its service in Johannesburg, working with BYD and the South African Meter Taxi and E-Hailing Association, Engineering News reported on 23 October. The company is aiming for a fleet of 500 EVs in South Africa by December. It says it runs electric ride categories in more than 70 cities around the world.

In Europe, Bolt said on 21 October that it had chosen NVIDIA's Alpamayo Stack self-driving software for its autonomous ride-hailing programme, starting with Lucid vehicles. The company said the next step after its first autonomous launch in Luxembourg is a programme in Madrid in 2027.

Ride-hailing, scooters and scheduled trips

Bolt is a ride-hailing app for booking cars and, in some cities, scooters. Riders enter a destination, see the fare before they confirm, and follow the driver on a map as they approach. According to the developer, payment can be made by card, Google Pay or cash, depending on the market.

The developer lists Comfort, Premium, Electric and XL among the ride types. Trips can be scheduled from 30 minutes to 90 days ahead. Safety tools include an emergency button that alerts Bolt's safety team, audio recording during trips, and masked phone numbers when a rider calls a driver.

The latest Android update is version CA.231.0. The developer describes it only as bringing general speed and reliability improvements.