An open letter to Ghana riders, present and future customers

It has been a little over a year since I assumed my position as Country Manager for Bolt.

I am writing to express my sincere gratitude on behalf of the entire Bolt Ghana Team for your custom and feedback in making Bolt the leading ride-hailing company in Ghana.

We take nothing for granted and must double our efforts to ensure we provide what all our stakeholders expect from us.

In December 2022, we will celebrate 5 years since we launched in Ghana. It is a significant period to reflect on the state of our platform and the way forward.

2022 has been a challenging year with currency depreciation and inflation, which has put severe burdens on Ghanaians.

As a result, businesses are not immune to challenges in the macroeconomic ecosystem. In our sector, drivers have been struck by high fuel costs and the general cost of living.

In response to this, we have adjusted our fares whilst considering the pocket of our clients.

This ensures we balance the marketplace and drivers can drive you to your various destinations. In addition, we ask for your understanding and continued support to keep providing earnings for thousands of drivers and their families in all eight cities we operate.

A note to remember to use our ‘multiple stop’ feature with colleagues, friends and family who live in the same vicinity so you can split the cost of a trip and avoid any misunderstandings at the destination.

Additionally, we have resolved to improve both our product quality and driver behaviour which had soured some riders on the Bolt experience.

When undergoing tremendous growth, it can sometimes be difficult to properly gatekeep processes but rest assured that we have heard loud and clear what many drivers and riders are saying.

Most Bolt drivers generally are reasonable and hardworking men and women who want to provide outstanding service. However, we realize there is more to do to remedy the system. I want to highlight a few of the concerns raised and our approach to them:

1. Card Trip Rejections– This has been a very frustrating issue for our business clients and individuals who generally prefer to link their credit cards to the app. Unfortunately, we have an issue where Ghana is still quite a cash-heavy market, and we are looking to fix this with your help and driver support. So what we are doing is multifaceted.

• We are reinforcing and solidifying the training we provide to driver partners on the benefits of card trips.
• We are now also paying drivers an extra GHS2.00 for every completed card trip (no commission charged).
• We will be rolling out more stringent penalties for drivers who drop riders because of their payment method, which is incompatible with what we stand for as a business. So let’s all push for better!

2. Offline Trip Requests– Never accept an offline trip, as Bolt cannot track your whereabouts should you agree to such. We have provided on-trip insurance for both drivers and riders. Going offline nullifies any benefit to both parties.
3. Paid Wait Issues– This was the issue some riders had where a driver did not start a trip on time, leading to an inflated fare. We have put in a solution for this, and we ask that you test it out to see if you ever have that kind of issue again.
4. OTP Fraud– Whereby a driver asks you to share a code to enable them to end a card trip. Please note that Bolt will never require such a code to end a trip, so never share that. Do report any such driver who even requests this to our support team. We will hold them duly accountable.
5. Driver Identification– There have been some instances where drivers have not reflected in person that which is shown on the app. We highly recommend that you check the driver’s identity to ensure that there is a match before sitting in a car.

However, we will be rolling out a feature that should minimize the possibility of driver impersonation. We will consider a similar innovation for Rider Identification, and we should announce it in the next few months.

I would like to champion our recent ‘Call-A-Bolt Service (CAB) initiative. This is a toll-free service where anyone can order a Bolt ride by calling 0800 400 400. Very simple! No need for data call credit or anything; even a YAM can access Bolt.

Just provide a landmark for our agents to assist the driver in reaching you. It may not be a bad idea to save this number on your phone or that of your loved ones, as you never know when one may need to Call-A-Bolt.

Overall, we had made great strides in our journey, from when we had only a few drivers and riders to the milestone where millions of people in Ghana are enjoying the Bolt experience.

So we are always looking to improve and evolve. Please continue to give us feedback via [email protected] or report trip-related issues in the app at the end of the trip and we will get back to you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I appreciate your unwavering support.

Warm regards,

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BY David Kotei Nikoi | Country Manager – Bolt