South Africa one of the most unsafe places in the world
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[Bolt is a type of very cheap Uber competitor. Jan]
Bolt regional PR manager Sandra Buyole says the platform prioritises safety in South Africa as it is “one of the most unsafe places in the world”.
She explained that high crime rates in the country are a severe threat, and drivers frequently fall victim to hijackings and robberies. She also detailed some of Bolt’s safety features aimed at riders and drivers.
“These external circumstances create a difficult environment for our operations, impacting both driver safety and service reliability,” said Buyole.
“We are committed to ensuring the safety of our passengers and drivers by implementing stringent safety measures. We’re always looking at new safety features that could contribute to the overall safety of passengers who use its platform.”
Regarding driver vetting, Buyole says Bolt’s rule requires that all drivers possess a Professional Driving Permit (PrDP) to be accepted onto the platform.
PrDPs are issued by local authorities and are only granted with a Clearance Certificate from the South African Police Service. Bolt also conducts its own criminal background checks.
“In addition to the Police Clearance obtained via the PrDP, Bolt conducts additional Criminal Background Checks — as an extra layer of driver verification,” said Buyole. “Bolt uses Huru crime checks.”
“Drivers obtain them through Huru’s retail network with Postnet and Jetline. Drivers walk into a store and have their fingerprints captured.”
She also outlined the safety features that Bolt offers, including Automobile Association (AA) supported emergency response integration in the app.
When a rider or driver activates the feature, their details and location are sent to the AA’s 24/7 contact centre, which immediately deploys private security and emergency services.
Bolt also shares the latest information about crime hotspots with drivers, allowing them to decline a trip if they’re concerned about the safety of a pick-up location.
All drivers operating on the platform must complete selfie verification.
“This feature enables drivers to take a selfie, thus verifying their identity before going online,” said Buyole.
“The driver’s selfie will be matched against the Government database (Department of Home Affairs) to ensure the correct driver is behind the wheel.”
Bolt will also occasionally and randomly prompt drivers to share a live selfie to ensure that they are the person meant to be behind the wheel.
The ride-hailing company has also implemented similar identity verification checks for passengers to enhance the safety of drivers.
The in-app feature will ask new customers to take a selfie before they can use the service. They must also upload their ID document for Bolt to compare to the selfie.
“The passenger will not be able to place a ride-hailing order if their selfie is not valid,” said Buyole.
Like with other ride-hailing services, passengers can share drip details and their estimated time of arrival with trusted contacts.
“Passengers and drivers can now initiate an audio recording of their trip within the Bolt app, offering a solution in situations where they may feel unsafe during the trip,” said Buyole.
She explained that audio recordings can be quickly submitted directly to the Bolt support team, allowing for a faster resolution.
Bolt also offers a trip-monitoring feature that proactively engages passengers and drivers in-app if the vehicle is stationary for an extended period.
The feature requires no action from the driver or rider to activate. The Bolt app will prompt both to check if everything is okay.
Drivers and riders will be required to tap the “Yes, I am okay” button if there is no concern.
MyBroadband also asked Uber about the most significant challenges it faces in South Africa, but it didn’t answer our questions by publication.
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