Ride-hailing platform Bolt said it recorded the highest number of trips in Nigeria on Valentine’s Day this year, surpassing Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
The company explained that Lagos and Abuja had the largest number of requests, while trip activity peaked in the late afternoon and evening as riders travelled to restaurants, social events, and entertainment venues. Most trips were short city journeys.
Many riders mentioned traffic, limited parking, and safety at night as reasons for using ride-hailing instead of driving themselves. “I didn’t want to worry about parking or getting stuck in traffic,” a rider in Lagos said. “Bolt was reliable and got me to my reservation on time.”
Drivers reported longer online hours and more back-to-back trips during the spike, while Bolt said reduced idle time allowed drivers to make more trips during peak hours.
Restaurants and leisure spots were the most common destinations, according to the company, which added that this pattern appeared across major cities, with demand growing steadily from early afternoon and remaining high until late evening.
Bolt did not provide exact figures but confirmed that the day set a new record for trip volume in Nigeria for 2026.
