Bolt Engages Riders, Policymakers On Safer Urban Mobility

Bolt, one of Africa’s leading ride-hailing platforms, has engaged a broad coalition of stakeholders, including riders, government officials, law enforcement agencies, and civil society groups, in an effort to ensure urban mobility safety.

This is even as it has organised its first-ever Public Safety Summit in Lagos, on Wednesday, which serves as a dynamic forum for collaborative dialogue on how to strengthen safety, accountability, and trust in Nigeria’s growing ride-hailing sector.

The general manager, Bolt Nigeria, Osi Oguah, said the summit reflected Bolt’s core belief that safety must be a shared responsibility.

“Bolt, safety is not just a feature, it is fundamental to the service we provide. We are consistently investing in tools and partnerships that prioritize the well-being of our users.

The Public Safety Summit represents a major step forward in how we engage with our riders. It will be a rider-first platform to listen, learn, and collaborate on new ways to make our services even safer and more responsive,” Oguah added.

The event highlighted Bolt’s ongoing investments in technology, driver education, and platform integrity, while providing a unique platform for open dialogue with riders on safety expectations and shared responsibilities in urban mobility.

Bolt, in its recent progress in key safety metrics, revealed that it recorded a 42 percent reduction in offline trips in the last 3 months, indicating greater usage of in-app safety tools. In addition, there was a 298 percent increase in the use of the Trusted Contacts feature, which grew from 7,839 users in January to 31,216 in June. The Pick-Up Code feature also gained traction, with 5,568 riders in Nigeria enabling it.

The Summit convened a diverse audience, including public safety experts, policymakers, and everyday platform users, to co-develop ideas and explore long-term strategies for ride-hailing security and accountability.

Bolt emphasised that the summit marked a new chapter in community-driven innovation, with a focus on transparency, safety education, and continuous dialogue with users. The initiative also aligns with Bolt’s broader vision to elevate safety standards in Africa’s ride-hailing sector.