Bolt Introduces Female Only Riding Option To Address Security Concerns

Popular European-based ride-hailing platform, Bolt, has rolled out a women-only option which allows women to request rides from female drivers.

The new feature is a response to the public calls for e-hailing cab services to prioritize women’s safety, owing to the sexual abuse and harassment experiences South African women allege they encounter at the hands of male drivers.

It additionally comes on the heels of a research report released by the International Finance Corporation where 64% of women cited security as a reason people do not sign up for the e-hailing services.

The Women Only service is available on the Bolt app and is already operating in eight cities in South Africa which are, Cape Town, Mbombela, Johannesburg, Durban, Rustenburg, East London, Mthatha, and Emalahlen.

Bolt says women passengers who request the Women Only ride service will only connect with women drivers on the Bolt platform and will not be visible to male drivers.

“Women e-hailing drivers and passengers have the right to feel safe and be protected from any harm while working and moving around, and the Women Only service, in combination with Bolt’s many other safety features, provides this safety and protection,” says Gareth Taylor, Country Manager for Bolt in South Africa.

Bolt continues to look for ways to make e-hailing safer for the women that use the platform, whether they are drivers or passengers. Doing so means that more women can earn an income by driving with Bolt, and SA’s women can choose to be driven by a woman”, Taylor adds.

Women Only costs the same as the main Bolt category, with no additional cost incurred.

Bolts notes that all drivers and passengers utilising Bolt’s Women Only service are protected by an app-integrated SOS emergency button. Bolt has also allowed women drivers to have protection security screens installed in their vehicles to further boost their safety.

Bolt says its registration process for drivers includes verifying their identity, including whether they are male or female, making it easy to confirm that only women drivers can access the Bolt Women Only category.