Ride-hailing taxi app Bolt plans to launch the women-only ride service in other towns including Kisumu in a move meant to address the rising cases of gender-based violence in public transport.
The firm’s regional manager for East Africa Kenneth Micah said the service will be launched in Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret, benefiting female passengers who prefer to travel in cars driven by women.
The planned rollout of operations in other towns is coming barely a few months after Bolt launched the service in Nairobi and Mombasa.
The category aims at enhancing the safety and security of women that use Bolt’s platform, whether they are drivers or passengers.
“We are planning to launch the Women-Only category service in towns such as Nakuru, Kisumu and Eldoret hopefully before the year comes to an end,” Mr Micah said in an interview with the Business Daily.
The women-only ride feature will cost the same as the main Bolt category, with no surcharge for the service.
Women drivers will not be penalised if they cancel a trip when expecting to collect a female passenger and find a male passenger is waiting for them at the agreed collection point.
The move follows the rising cases of harassment of women travellers by unruly touts and some male taxi drivers.
“We’re constantly developing our platform and services to help ensure that every Bolt user feels secure and enjoys choice, and the Women-Only service, in combination with Bolt’s many other safety features, provides these value propositions,” Mr Micah said.
Apart from Kenya, this ride-type is now available in 12 cities in South Africa including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Emalahle.
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