Bolt (formerly Taxify), the on-demand transportation platform in Africa, recently launched operations in Calabar, the Cross River State capital. It is the first ride hailing service to connect passengers with drivers in Calabar. The expansion move brings Bolt’s cities in Nigeria to a total of seven: the service is already well established in Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Owerri and Benin City.
Bolt is a cell phone-based application that lets passengers easily, quickly and cost-effectively request for a driver to pick them up wherever they are, to take them wherever they want to go.
Uche Okafor, Bolt’s regional manager for West Africa, said: “After our successful launches in Nigeria’s main centres, expanding to Uyo and Calabar is a natural next step for Bolt as it further reinforces our position to make urban travel easier, quicker and more reliable. We are also looking forward to introducing flexible employment opportunities to thousands of drivers and vehicle owners in both cities.”
Bolt service is easy to use: passengers simply download the Bolt app from the iOS or Android app stores and set up a user profile. When they’re ready to ride, users open the app, set their location and their intended destination. The app will then give a cost estimate for the trip. Once passengers request the ride, the app alerts drivers nearby who accept the ride.
Once a driver has accepted the ride, passengers will be able to see their driver’s name, photo, car make and model, and registration, as well as be able to track the driver making his or her way towards them in real time – all of which makes it easy to be sure that they get safely into the correct vehicle with the correct driver. Passengers can also share their trip details using the “share your ETA” function on the app, as an extra layer of security.
When the ride is complete, payment is made with cash, or via the debit card details the rider entered into the app.
Popular trips in and around Uyo such as Ibom Plaza to Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort will cost between N1,800 – N2,000, while UNIUYO to Ibom Tropicana will cost between N1,000 – N1,300. In Calabar, Marian Market to General Hospital, Mary Slessor will cost between N700 to N800, University of Calabar to Federal Housing Estate will cost N1,200 – N1,400.
