Bolt restricts inter-country ride requests

Technology ride-hailing firm Bolt has disclosed that it has restricted inter-country ride requests following an escalation of such requests in Nigeria and South Africa.

It also stated, in a release, that it had blocked an undisclosed number of accounts involved in requesting fake rides and cancelling them.

Early Thursday morning, Nigerians and South Africans’ online debacle took a new dimension after both divides engaged in another supremacy battle.

Citizens from two countries went for each other’s jugulars by ordering e-hailing drivers from opposing countries in the comfort of their homes.

While South Africans began the show by allegedly ordering Bolt and Uber drivers in Nigeria and cancelling the ride when the drivers got to the pick-up locations, Nigerians retaliated by booking rides in South Africa to show the power of numbers.

Reacting to the situation, the Country Manager of Nigeria at Bolt, Yahaya Mohammed, said the company had taken measures to resolve the issue of fake ride requests, stressing that a thorough investigation had been initiated into its enhanced security measures.

The statement read, “Bolt is aware of the fake ride request incident between some individuals in Nigeria and South Africa.

“We have successfully taken measures to resolve the issue of fake ride requests affecting our driver-partners, particularly those operating in Nigeria and South Africa. The integrity and safety of our platform, both for driver-partners and riders, is our utmost priority.

“Following a thorough investigation and the implementation of enhanced security measures, we have addressed this issue swiftly by restricting inter-country ride requests. Additionally, those responsible for this malicious activity have been identified and held accountable by blocking them from the Bolt app.”

The country manager, thanking its driver-partners for their patience and professionalism, promised to foster a safe, reliable, and secure experience for all members of our community.

“We understand the impact this situation has had on our driver-partners in Nigeria and South Africa. We are committed to ensuring a safe, reliable, and secure experience for all members of our community.

“We thank our driver-partners for their patience and professionalism during this time and remain dedicated to supporting them in every possible way,” it concluded.