Bolt is launching its ride-hailing services in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana.
To attract drivers, the Estonian firm is waiving its usual 15-20% commission fee for six months and has already enlisted 100 drivers, reports indicate.
Expanding further into Southern Africa, Bolt’s arrival in Botswana follows recent launches in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Since debuting in South Africa in 2016, the company has expanded its operations to 14 African countries.
Expressing enthusiasm for the Botswana launch, Bolt’s head of expansion, Laurent Koerge, aims to increase drivers’ earnings while maintaining competitive pricing to meet high demand.
“Despite potential growth, Botswana’s ride-hailing market poses challenges, evidenced by inDrive’s five-year struggle with issues like driver misconduct and resistance from public transport operators” Innovation Village reported.
To address these challenges, Bolt has implemented safety features such as an emergency SOS button, ensured driver-rider pairing controls, real-time journey information sharing, and ensured drivers hold the required local licenses.
Earlier in 2023, the company announced plans to invest over €500 million in Africa, aiming to create jobs for 300,000 driver partners.
Operating in 45 countries globally, Bolt serves over 150 million customers and partners with over 3 million drivers.