Bolt boosts safety with rider checks in South Africa

Durban — Bolt has boosted safety by rolling out rider verification in South Africa.

The e-hailing service is rolling out its rider verification feature giving customers in the country the option to verify themselves.

Bolt said this move was part of its ongoing investment in safety features on its platform, enhancing driver-rider trust and offering drivers more reasons to pick up an order. This will translate to a faster, more efficient experience for riders.

In a statement, the e-hailing service explained that as part of this in-app feature, customers will have the option to take a selfie before they can place a ride-hailing order. For the selfie to be valid, it should be an authentic picture of a physically present person, with the face clearly visible.

The rider needs to upload an identification document, which Bolt will check against the selfie. The validation process takes seconds to minutes and requires the latest version of the app to use.

Bolt Regulatory & Policy Africa acting head, Weyinmi Aghadiuno, said: “Being able to verify that riders are who they say they are is the number one feature requested by driver-partners in South Africa. The launch of rider verification acknowledges the importance of mutual trust between driver partners and riders.

“With increased investment in verification features like this that consider the trip as a whole, we aim to continue building driver and rider trust, which is critical to the safety of the platform.”

Bolt said rider verification joined existing trip verification features, including driver verification, trip count, trip details, driver score, and rider ratings. These are part of Bolt’s extensive list of safety features, including the in-app safety toolkit enabling drivers to share their ride details with a friend or loved one, access the emergency assist button, and trigger an audio recording of their trip if they ever feel uncomfortable during a ride.

With trip safety monitoring, Bolt automatically engages with riders and drivers in-app when a vehicle remains still for too long to confirm everything is okay, and driver alerts help flag any areas on a trip’s route where high volumes of driver and rider safety cases have been reported to Bolt’s customer support team.

Additionally, Bolt said the new enhancements reflected Bolt’s commitment to continuous improvement and innovation in safety technology. By leveraging driver feedback, Bolt aimed to provide a safer and more reliable service for its Bolt community.

As the ride-hailing industry evolves, Bolt remains at the forefront, prioritising the well-being of its community and setting new standards for safety and trust.

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