Leading ride-hailing company, Bolt, has launched its safety awareness campaign. The launch was held at an event which took place in Lagos and which featured key stakeholders, including the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, representatives from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO), safety experts, Bolt representatives, and members of the media.
The company also revealed that it is backing its safety campaign with a significant €100 Million investment over the next three years. This investment will support its safety team in its critical work of product development, customer support, safety feature awareness, and preventative measures to minimize safety incidents.
In her opening address, Regional Manager of North and West Africa, Lola Masha noted that Africa is a key priority region for Bolt and the company is excited to do everything it can to ensure that both drivers and riders have a pleasant experience on every ride.
“We realised that a key part of our responsibility as Bolt is not simply from a financial or commercial point of view but to ensure that safety is the number one priority for us. The truth is, as a business, we cannot be successful if we cannot ensure that every single ride that our drivers and riders take ends successfully. And it will be futile for us to not spend resources and effort to keep every ride as safe as possible. It is a major priority area for us which is why we have invested huge resources to make sure that safety remains a priority and we minimise incidents to as close to zero as possible,” she said.
She also emphasised the need to keep educating stakeholders on what is available for them to ensure that every single ride ends safely. She pointed out that the company has done a lot that that people may not be aware of as every single ride is supported by tonnes of resources and people working hard behind the scenes to be sure that ride ends successfully.
Bolt commissions more than 500 specialists on safety
Beyond the €100 million investment, Bolt has also commissioned a team of more than 500 safety experts from across the world to its safety cause. General Manager, Osi Oguah, said this is a reflection of how seriously the company takes its responsibility to ensure the safety of its platform.
“With €100 million committed over three years to safety, we recognise that this requires an end-to-end approach across our business in Nigeria. That’s why The Bolt Safety Team of over 500 specialists from across the world will focus their efforts on product development, support, and scaling preventative measures to stop safety cases before they happen in that time. We’ll also continue to raise awareness of our safety tools with educational campaigns like the current ‘Bolt Safety Team’ campaign running in Nigeria to raise awareness of the in-app features that we know can help prevent cases,” he said.
Speaking at the event, the Lagos state commissioner for transport, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, represented by the Lagos state director of transport operations, Olasunkanmi Ojowuro, lauded the ride-hailing giant for cooperating with all the regulatory requirements of the state and for having a smooth relationship with regulators.
“I commend Bolt for its continuous collaboration with the Lagos State Government and its proactive approach to enhance safety measures on its platform. Given the importance of a safer transportation ecosystem, it is our responsibility as a progressive government to encourage collaboration among all key stakeholders, including private sector operators like Bolt,” the commissioner said.
He went on to enumerate some essential safety measures that are integral to the company’s operations.
These measures include comprehensive driver background checks including criminal history and driving records should be conducted before drivers are approved. This, the commissioner says, builds trust among riders, reduces incidents of misconduct, and enhances the perception of safety. He also emphasised in-app safety features such as real-time GPS tracking, the ability to share emergency contacts, and an in-app button for immediate assistance to provide reassurance to users.
He also pointed out that the rider verification tool which gives the option for riders to confirm their rides by matching the driver’s name with details on the license plate helps reduce the risk of ride-hailing fraud and instil confidence in the users. For insurance coverage, the commissioner noted that ride-hailing companies typically carry insurance coverages that cover drivers during rides including liability for injuries or damages. These protect both riders and drivers financially, encourage responsible behaviour and reduce fear of liability.
Other features are driver guidelines and training, passenger rating systems, and data privacy measures.