8 Apr 2021
At Bolt, we’ve made it our mission to connect our passengers with affordable rides with a tap of a button. And at the heart of this mission, we want to ensure the health and safety of both driver and passengers from pickup to dropoff and everything in between!
For this reason, we’ve put massive amounts of time and resources into building the right tools and processes into our business model, which includes thoroughly vetting our contractors through the driver registration process. That said, we believe that safety is too important not to be everybody’s priority. So here are our top safety tips for passengers from pickup to dropoff and everything in between.
You’ve ordered a ride, your driver has accepted and is currently en route to you. Make sure you’re in place at the agreed-upon location, but use your best judgement when it comes to picking a spot where your driver will be able to see you and safely pull over so you can enter the vehicle.
Once you’re in place at the pickup location, be sure to review the driver’s photo and name as well as the vehicle’s make, model and license plate number. You shouldn’t begin your trip until you’ve verified that all the information checks out. Remember to always sit in the back seat and handle your own luggage when getting into the car for covid-safety.
Before you set off on your journey, a few final safety concerns if you’re travelling with young children. Make sure you’re using an appropriate child’s seat which has been properly secured before you set off to your ultimate destination.
Once you’re en route to your destination, please remain buckled in and refrain from any activities which may distract the driver from the road. Wear a mask or face covering and keep it on for the whole trip (unless exempt).
Have you heard about Bolt’s Share your ETA feature? It’s an additional layer of safety that we’re proud to offer to our passengers. While your ride is in progress, open the Bolt app and you’ll see the option to “Share your ride details.” Your family or friends will be able to travel along with you in real-time on the map so they’ll be able to see exactly where you are, and when they can expect you to arrive.
If there is an emergency, an SOS button is available directly through the app. The button should only be used in life-threatening situations where you, your driver or another road user is in immediate danger during a Bolt journey.
Life-threatening incidents include medical and security emergencies such as road accidents, inappropriate and/or violent physical contact, aggressive behaviour such as verbal assault from your driver, etc.
Follow the steps below to report an emergency:
Once you’ve arrived and the vehicle has come to a complete stop, be cautious when opening car doors and exiting. It’s best to exit on the side of the vehicle that won’t put you in the path of oncoming traffic — even if it means you have to do an awkward scooch across the backseat. And once you’ve exited, don’t forget to retrieve any belongings you may have stored in the boot!
We rely on rider feedback to improve future journeys. So if you have any concerns about your driver driving safely, please do not hesitate to share your honest opinion with us. Drivers who repeatedly receive low ratings from passengers risk losing access to the platform.
Finally, if you experienced a less than satisfactory experience with Bolt, we encourage you to share your experience with our Customer Support team, who are trained in the art of setting things right and can ensure that whatever problem you’ve experienced is handled with the appropriate level of care and concern. You can reach our support team at any time directly within the Bolt app.
Thank you for choosing to ride with Bolt and we wish you happy and safe travels!
