Bolt: in the business of building better cities with efficient mobility

Bolt, the leading mobility app in Africa, is committed to ensuring people can move around their cities with ease and at the touch of a button. 

But how does the company meet the challenges of safety, reliability and cost effectiveness for passengers — while providing drivers with a way of earning a good living and ensuring equal opportunities for women? 

These were some of the questions answered at a recent Business Day Dialogues panel discussion in partnership with Bolt. 

Markus Villig is the founder and CEO of Bolt. Frustrated by the outdated metered taxi industry, he built the first version of ride-hailing software and launched Bolt with 50 drivers he had  recruited.

He is the youngest founder of a billion-dollar company in Europe and has been featured as the youngest tech CEO on the Forbes Europe 30 under 30 list.

Bolt, which has made one-billion trips in Africa, specialises in e-mapping to find the most cost-effective routes, and allows drivers to share their experiences on the road with other drivers. 

Villig advised female coders and “techies” to be bold and said it was a good time to start a tech company as funding is available. “There is huge potential in Africa as many people need affordable transport every day,” he said. 

Bolt’s super-app aims to reduce private car ownership, congestion and pollution in cities, said Paddy Partridge, Bolt’s vice-president for ride-hailing.

Passengers can choose to use electric scooters or bikes for short trips, ride-hailing for longer ones, and hire a car if the trip is even longer. Bolt also offers a food delivery service while Bolt Market is available for grocery shopping. All of these options will eventually come to Africa. 

Watch the full discussion below: 

The strength of Bolt is its big local presence. In Kenya, boda-bodas and tuk-tuks form part of Bolt’s offering. Two and three- wheeled transport is often ideal for smaller towns in Africa. Nairobi has a green option, using hybrids. Apart from women-only rides, Bolt is also considering rides which include pets and children.

Takura Malaba, Bolt’s regional manager for ride-hailing in East and Southern Africa, said every Bold driver undergoes a criminal-background check. He stressed the importance of Bolt’s Business quality supervision system, which obtains real-time feedback on drivers from passengers, who are blocked and retrained if necessary. An SOS button is available to activate a security team for emergencies for passengers and drivers, he said. 

With unemployment in SA exceeding 30%, Bolt’s partnership with driver-partners to provide more than 40,000  drivers with economic opportunities — makes a “huge affect”. 

Asked whether technology companies like Bolt was a “boys’ club”, Tinyiko Simbine, co-founder and CFO of GirlCode said education and awareness would close the gender gap, with help from the private sector.

Coding and technology should be introduced at schools by grade four and should not exclude girls. As they gain experience, they will be offered opportunities to make a meaningful contribution. 

Nchimunya Chipo Hamukoma, head of funder relationships and strategic projects at Harambee, said their free employment app, with 4.5 million users, partners employers with employees and provides programmes combining work with technical skills and personal training. He said young people need to have a “let-me-start-somewhere” attitude.

“Partnering with amazing companies such as Bolt will get the youth employed,” said Hamukoma.

This article was sponsored by Bolt.