Bolt has revealed a commendable 42% drop in offline trips across Nigeria in just three months, a direct outcome of its expanded focus on in-app safety compliance.
The figure was unveiled at the company’s first-ever Public Safety Summit, where Bolt made it known that safety isn’t an afterthought, but the very backbone of its operations.
At the Safety Media Briefing held earlier at The Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Bolt Nigeria’s General Manager, Osi Oguah, said, “Offline trips are a blind spot in any safety system. We’ve seen criminals exploit that space, which is why we implemented solutions to flag such behaviour, and in just three months, we’ve seen a 42% reduction in offline trips.”
Added to this, the adoption of Bolt’s Trusted Contacts feature surged by 298%, rising from 7,839 users in January to 31,216 in June 2025. “It shows that people appreciate the peace of mind that comes with knowing someone they trust can be contacted in case of an incident,” Oguah noted.
The Pick-Up Code feature, designed to confirm passengers are entering the correct vehicle, has also taken root, with over 5,500 riders activating it. “These features weren’t even in place last year,” said Sandra Buyole, PRO for Bolt Africa. “They’re a testament to our evolving commitment to passenger security.”
A New Kind of Safety Engagement
What sets Bolt’s latest initiative apart is the launch of the first-ever Public Safety Summit in the ride-hailing sector, not just in Nigeria but globally within Bolt’s operations.
This event brings together passengers, drivers, regulators, and media under one roof to discuss real safety issues, demonstrate new tools, and, most importantly, listen to users.
“Today, we’re moving from simply building tools to building relationships,” Weyinmi Aghadiuno, head, Regulatory & Policy for Bolt Africa said. “Some of our drivers are PhD holders and ex-bankers. They deserve respect, and our riders deserve transparency and trust.”
The summit is also a transition from internal-only safety efforts to a more collaborative model, with the goal to co-create a safer ride-hailing ecosystem with inputs directly from the field.
No Tolerance for Unsafe Behaviour
Bolt is not just nudging drivers and riders toward safer practices, the ride-hailing platform is enforcing them. Drivers who repeatedly go offline to avoid platform monitoring are now being flagged by automated systems and restricted from further activity.
“We developed an automated system that detects and proactively restricts drivers going offline to make trips. It’s both a safety and customer experience issue,” said Oguah.
Drivers are also now empowered with features like in-trip audio recording, fully encrypted and stored for just 24 hours, unless submitted to customer support, as well as real-time emergency contacts and optional trip rejection for high-risk areas without affecting their performance scores.
“We understand Lagos isn’t the easiest city to drive in,” Oguah added. “So we’ve made sure drivers can opt out of dangerous areas without being penalised.”
Policy and Identity: The Next Frontier
Bolt says it’s working closely with Lagos State’s Ministry of Transport to push for industry-wide rider verification, requiring users to upload a national ID. The move, still in the pipeline, is part of an initiative for systemic regulation that covers all ride-hailing players.
“Safety has to be standardised across the board. If only Bolt verifies riders and others don’t, bad actors will just move to the next platform,” said Aghadiuno, stressing the need for regulatory backing.
Addressing the Elephant in the Room: Earnings
Asked whether driver dissatisfaction with commissions is driving the tendency to go offline, Bolt admitted the economy plays a role, but insists it’s addressing the issue through driver rewards programmes, improved fare optimisation, and ongoing experiments with pricing models, including rider-driver negotiation.
“Every tech platform runs tests,” Aghadiuno said when pressed about the fate of its price negotiation feature. “Some models scale, others don’t. But we keep testing to find what works for both riders and drivers.”
Human Support, Not Just Code
Bolt clarified that while the platform is built on advanced algorithms, human safety teams are always behind incident resolution. “We have a specialised support unit trained specifically to handle safety-related cases. When a report comes in, it’s not AI you’re talking to—it’s a real person.”
Bolt plans to ramp up its safety education campaigns, with billboards, newspaper ads, and digital content rolling out this week. The advice? Use the app, stay on the system, and don’t go offline.
“Most safety incidents happen outside our app. When you go offline, you’re stepping out of a safe zone,” Oguah warned. Data, dialogue, and direct actions form the pillars of a safer ride-hailing industry in Nigeria and beyond.
“At Bolt, safety is not just a feature, it’s fundamental to the service we provide.” — Osi Oguah, General Manager, Bolt Nigeria
