Taxify, a popular ride-hailing startup is rebranding to Bolt to widen its product portfolio in line with its vision of the rapidly evolving transportation industry.

Bolt, CEO and co-founder, Markus Villig said, “Taxify launched five years ago with a mission to make urban transportation more convenient and affordable. Our first product was a taxi dispatch solution that gave the company its original name.”

Taxify had been the subject of much controversy in previous years in Kenya, with users citing poor and sometimes alarming driver conduct. The rebranding may also serve to regain users’ trust and cast a veil upon its murky past.

The new brand will be rolled out gradually across Bolt’s global markets in the coming weeks. Users in the 30 countries will not be required to take any action since the app will update automatically.

Villig said the rebrand to Bolt serves several purposes, among them channeling the basic definition of the word bolt, speed and electricity. “We are bullish that the future is fully electric and so we wanted a name that moved us away from the combustion engine,” he said. The shift from using the word taxi also allows the company to explore other modes of transportation aside from cars. The company plans to add smaller vehicles such as scooters to its fleet.

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