Bolt customers can now choose how they balance time, cost and convenience when booking a ride. Newly created three ride categories offer faster pick-ups, lower fares for those willing to wait, and hourly bookings for journeys involving multiple stops.
Dimmy Kanyankole, Senior General Manager, Rides, East Africa, said Bolt’s Priority, Wait and Save, and Ride by Hour categories are designed to meet different everyday travel needs. They give customers more flexibility over how they move around the city and create additional opportunities for drivers to access ride requests and earn through the platform.
Priority is designed for customers who need to get moving quickly. By selecting this category and paying a premium, riders can be matched with a driver faster, helping reduce waiting time when they have a time-sensitive journey. Whether heading to a meeting, catching a flight or travelling to an important appointment, Priority gives customers another option when a quicker pick-up matters.
The category also creates additional opportunities for drivers to access higher-value trips, reduce idle time between rides and improve their earning potential. Priority is an additional option rather than a replacement for standard rides, and drivers retain the freedom to choose which trips they accept.
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For customers who have flexibility in their schedules, Wait and Save offers an opportunity to pay less for a ride by waiting for demand to ease. The category gives cost-conscious riders another option during peak periods, particularly when they do not need to reach their destination immediately.
For drivers, Wait and Save helps bring more customers into the ride-hailing market, including those who might otherwise postpone or forgo a trip when fares are higher, Kanyankole said. By giving these customers an alternative, the category can generate additional ride requests and create more opportunities for drivers to complete trips and earn on the platform. This supports a more responsive marketplace, connecting customers willing to wait with drivers available to serve them as demand changes.
For customers whose journeys involve several stops or extended waiting periods, Ride by Hour offers a different way to book a ride. The category allows customers to book a car for one or two hours at a fixed hourly rate, with pricing based on time rather than distance travelled. It is suited to errands, shopping, business visits and other intra-city trips where customers may need a driver to remain available while they move between destinations.
Instead of arranging separate rides for each stop, customers can use the booked time to complete multiple activities within their schedule, without additional per-stop charges during the booking period. For drivers, the time-based model provides more predictable earnings for the booked duration and helps address some of the uncertainty associated with long waits and multi-stop trips. It can also reduce friction between riders and drivers over waiting time and additional stops.
: “These categories give customers more control over how they travel, whether they want a faster pick-up, a lower fare by waiting for demand to ease, or the flexibility of having a car for multiple stops. We’re responding to the different needs of riders while creating more opportunities for drivers to access trips, reduce idle time and earn on the platform. Ultimately, it’s about giving people more choice in how they get around, without compromising on the convenience they expect from ride-hailing.”
Together, the three categories give customers more control over how they balance time, cost and convenience, while offering drivers additional ways to access demand and earn on the platform. “Bolt continues to invest in a ride-hailing experience that responds to the realities of everyday travel, recognising that value is not only about the price of a trip, but also about reliability, flexibility and having the right option for the journey,” Kanyankole said.
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