15 Nov 2019
Imagine this – extra money in your bank account without taking up a part-time job with a strict schedule. Topping up your earnings as your own boss, fully in charge of all of the decisions you make. Sounds nice, right? Well, why not try driving with Bolt, then?
Perhaps it’s because you’ve stumbled on some story that stopped you from taking the plunge so far. Was it something you heard from a friend of a friend? Or something you saw online? Well, we all know that not everything you hear or read is true — especially these days.
This article debunks some of the most popular myths about being a Bolt driver that have been known to fly around. So, after reading this, it’s time to drop that idea of a part-time job and get behind the wheel! Because, let’s admit it, everyone’s had a dream about being as cool as Jason Statham rocking a black BMW in The Transporter, right?
Let’s assume that your passenger has a promo code for a discount worth KES 500 and the trip cost is KES 1000. You do your job 100%, but does this mean that you only get paid half?
No, no, no!
You, as a driver, will be covered for the whole cost (minus our 20% commission fee) – KES 500 will come from the passenger’s pockets and the other KES 500 (the value of the promo code) will be covered by Bolt.
So, time to finally put this myth to rest for good!
Either you’re a full-timer or in it partly, you’ll receive all of the money you’re entitled to on a weekly basis.
So, you referred a friend to become a Bolt driver but you haven’t received your referral bonus. What happened?
Well, the real question is — did your friend actually sign up?
Referral bonuses are a well-oiled machine, but before any money can hit your account, the friend you referred has to go through some steps and get officially signed up. Specifically, they need to:
After they do that, you’ll get your share. The bonuses are paid the week after all conditions are met and you’ll receive your bonus along with your weekly pay.
If you’ve found your way to a blocked account, then there’s a reason behind it. Bolt doesn’t block drivers “just because”.
To ensure a top-notch service at all times, a driver’s account may be blocked for good or temporarily due to any of the following:
A low rating score or being online for 12+ hours can cause drivers to get blocked automatically. This cannot be undone until the block period is over or after a one-on-one chat with a member of Bolt’s Customer Support team.
Hopefully, you’ll agree that those are all pretty fair reasons to block a driver — we don’t just do it at random!
If you get temporarily blocked for some other reason, your account will be reactivated after you meet the set requirements as a driver.
Supply and demand. This is something everyone remembers from their mathematics or economics classes from school. That’s how it works in Bolt as well.
When there’s a high demand for rides and a low supply of drivers, dynamic pricing is automatically turned on.
Extreme weather conditions, peak-hours and large-scale events can increase the number of ride requests. The higher the demand and the lower the supply, the higher the surge.
Dynamic pricing ensures that there are drivers available at all times. It gives the ones driving on a daily basis the opportunity to earn some extra money, and gives those switching the idea of a part-time job for driving with Bolt, yet another awesome reason to go online and get out there!
To be honest, getting in touch with Bolt’s support team is one of the easiest things to do, like ever! All you need to do is open your Driver app and tap with your finger a few times.
So, no matter the topic, you can either:
Or:
But what to do if there’s an emergency? Well, in that case:
Additionally, you can always come and visit us at a Bolt driver hub. We’re waiting for you on Monday to Thursday at 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Friday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
The average weekly earnings of a full-time Bolt driver are KES 25,000. From that, Bolt charges a 20% commission. And then there’s the fact that there’s no set schedule and no-one but yourself to report to. You are your own boss. Is that the case with the part-time job you found?
Added to the above, there are also campaigns and bonuses that can boost driver earnings. Sounds awesome, right?
Also, experienced Bolt drivers have said that short talks with new people can even be therapeutic in their own way. You meet a stranger, exchange your ideas and why not even find someone you share your beliefs with through such a random encounter. If that’s not a benefit, then we’re not sure what is.
When you reach your rider’s set destination and end the journey, you’ll have an option to rate them. Don’t forget to do that! Rider ratings matter just as much as driver ratings.
Besides from a below-par rating, there are several reasons why riders might get blocked out of Bolt. For example, they might have issues with pending payments, using cards that have been reported as stolen or lost or using false or incorrect email addresses.
So, there you have it. We hope we were able to prove to you that not all of the myths about driving are true. In fact, most of the time, they’re the exact opposite!
if you’d like to make extra money, be your own boss and set your own schedule, sign up to become a Bolt driver today. It all starts with filling in this form.
