Bolt, a leading e-hailing company in Nigeria, is raising the bar on safety. In a bold move to enhance rider confidence and promote industry accountability, the ride-hailing leader has achieved a 42% reduction in offline trips over the past three months, signaling a breakthrough in digital ride integrity.
This milestone was unveiled during a recent Safety Media Parley in Lagos, where Bolt’s executives outlined the strategy behind the win: competitive driver commissions, improved earnings, and stricter policy enforcement.
“We’re investing in systems that reward great service and protect users,” said Osi Oguah, Bolt Nigeria’s General Manager. “Reducing offline trips isn’t just a business goal—it’s a safety imperative.”
Offline trips—where drivers bypass the app to negotiate off-grid fares—have long posed a safety and transparency challenge across Nigeria’s ride-hailing ecosystem. Bolt’s proprietary speed test detection system now proactively flags such drivers, restricting their access and preventing potential risks to users.
But Bolt isn’t stopping there. In what it calls an industry-first, Bolt is convening riders, drivers, regulators, and stakeholders for the inaugural Bolt Public Safety Summit. The goal? To spark collaborative dialogue on urban mobility safety, amplify rider voices, and spotlight Bolt’s expanding safety toolkit—from in-app reporting to walk-in help centers.
“This summit puts the rider first,” said Weyinmi Aghadiuno, Bolt’s Senior Public Policy Manager for West, North & Central Africa. “We want riders to understand the tools available to them and to shape what safety should look like going forward.”
The summit marks a shift in Bolt’s engagement playbook, emphasizing transparency, co-creation, and real-time accountability. Guests will enjoy live sessions, meet Bolt’s policy teams, and learn about platform enhancements rooted in rider feedback.
Bolt’s efforts reflect a larger vision to elevate safety standards across Africa’s ride-hailing sector. With plans to expand the summit across multiple cities and ramp up public education on ride safety features, the company is positioning itself as not just a service provider, but a safety-first urban mobility partner.
