Ride-hailing platform Bolt has launched a new cancellation feature to deter users from taking offline trips and paying off the app to enhance safety.
Riders can cancel a trip by selecting the option ‘ driver asked to pay off-the-app’ under specific circumstances.
Further, the feature empowers riders to take immediate action should they encounter situations where the driver asks for payment for a trip outside the app, requests payment exceeding the agreed-upon trip fare, or encourages cancellation of the trip to go offline.
Bolt Country Manager Linda Ndungu says when drivers and riders go offline, essential safety features like GPS tracking and SOS coverage in the app become inactive, leaving users vulnerable and without access to critical in-app safety tools.
“Remaining online ensures the effectiveness of these features and prioritises the safety of our users. Mitigating actions are also in place for drivers continuously reported as soliciting offline trips,” she said.
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“These actions include temporary bans and account suspensions, as we remain dedicated to providing a secure platform for everyone.”
The Estonian company encourages both drivers and passengers to utilize the safety elements in the app's Safety Toolkit to guarantee everyone's safety.
These features are meant to work only when live (in-app) journeys exist.
