29 Aug 2019
Introducing the latest in our series of Driver Stories, giving you a peek inside the daily life of a Bolt driver, so you can see what it’s like to drive with the fastest-growing ride-hailing app in the world! This week, we’d like to introduce you to London-based driver, Arsalan.
Arsalan Raza is not afraid of heights. Taking to the skies from Elstree Aerodrome in North London, he loves the thrill of flying. It’s one of his passions, another—he confesses—is food. Just three exams now stand between Arsalan and achieving his dream of qualifying as an amateur pilot. As a private hire driver, Arsalan uses the Bolt driver app to give himself the flexibility and freedom to live life the way he and his family want to. That means the freedom to set his own schedule, be the boss of his own time and leave room to study for those all-important exams.
Arsalan moved to the UK from Pakistan in 2007 and later left a career in accountancy to be his own boss. At first, merging his love of food with a desire to run his own business, Arsalan briefly found success as the owner of two popular sandwich chain franchises. A freak accident involving a careless driver, however, literally brought the roof down on this venture in 2015.
Not to be dissuaded, Arsalan persisted with his entrepreneurial spirit and turned to private hire driving with Bolt. As someone who enjoys meeting new people, he quickly found himself at home behind the wheel. To Arsalan, the ever-changing tapestry of faces, stories and destinations brings him joy. He finds beauty in the ordinary.
Arsalan has many stories to tell—and they’re not all about flying! During one recent journey in his Toyota Prius, a pregnant customer suddenly went into labour, triggering an urgent diversion to the nearest hospital!
Something of a romantic and a poet too, Arsalan enjoys taking in the view of London from the Royal Observatory on Greenwich Hill, or standing alone at the aerodrome late in the evening. In Pakistan, his poetry has been published in a local magazine. Even now, he would rather write a poem than a tweet!
Above all—when he’s not in the sky—Arsalan believes that if he gives 100% each day, he can go to bed happy. “Life’s too short to spend it looking back or getting angry,” he says. So, if one day you order a ride with the Bolt app and find yourself with Arsalan as your driver, don’t be surprised if he goes above and beyond—he is a pilot at heart, after all.
If you like the sound of Arsalan’s story, the freedom and flexibility he has and the extra cash he gets in his pocket each week, we have some awesome news for you—it could easily be you! All you need to do is download the Bolt driver app, register your details and go.
