Bolt upgrades security features for safer rides across Kenya

This comes amid the company’s latest upgrade on its SOS emergency button, embedded with emergency tracking options and improved auto location trailing features for security purposes. Bolt has also included a single tap booking and cancelling feature and re-enforced its 24/7 in-app customer support services to improve customer experience.

Ola Akinnusi, Country Manager at Bolt said: “We’ve up-scaled our safety features and policies guidelines on our platform that are easily accessible from the app’s home screen such as the driver and rider SOS button, giving drivers and riders a quick way to contact first responders in the event that something goes wrong during a Bolt trip. Our core business is to provide reliable, safe and affordable transportation services to everyone and we are excited to always make travel convenient and safer across the country. One of the key priorities for us this quarter is on sustainable security and safety of drivers and passengers using our platform. The SOS button is reserved for medical or security emergencies, where a driver, a passenger or another road user is in immediate danger during a Bolt ride.Our system is much equipped with policy guidelines to ensure driver compliance and to avoid the misuse of the SOS button.” 

The driver SOS button links drivers on Bolt trips with the medical and/or security emergency response team(s) at the tap of a button and is easily accessible from the app’s home screen.

To report an emergency, one will be required to press and hold the SOS button for 3 seconds and select the Yesbutton to confirm their emergency. This will automatically send a signal to the emergency team who will then reach out to access how best to provide support. Depending on the emergency, security personnel or an ambulance will be dispatched to the location. Bolt will be also notified of the incident and will handle the case as a matter of high priority and urgency.

To further bolster ride safety, Bolt has also strengthened its drivers screening processes and is closely monitoring drivers for criminal offences in real-time, conducting periodic inspection of their vehicles and also providing them with safety training on how to recognize, avoid, or calm potentially violent situations.

Additional safety features such as Share your ETA, where a passenger can share his/her live trip details with emergency contact numbers also ensure safety throughout the lifecycle of the passenger’s journey.