Driving with Bolt or 9-5 jobs? Who earns more?

If you want to know how much you can earn driving with Bolt compared to a 9-5 job, then you’re in the right place.

Sit back and enjoy the ride!

What’s the average salary of a 9-5 worker?

First, let’s take a look at the current state of play to get an idea of average 9-5 earnings. The national minimum wage in South Africa stands at R3500 monthly. The average graduate salaries in South Africa begin at R4000.

Workers can, however, grow their earnings in the following ways;

• Bonuses: these are incentivised rewards added to an employee’s compensation package.
  
• Commissions: some employees earn commission in addition to their base income, while others only work on commission.
  
• Pay increases: with a pay rise, employees earn more money for the work performed — these typically happen after a performance review. 
  
• Promotions: an employee can move up in the hierarchical structure within an organisation, and will usually get a salary increase to match the new role.
  

What’s the average income of a Bolt driver?

Bolt driver earnings are directly linked to two factors — performance and efficiency. There are, however, numerous ways that drivers can supplement their earnings on the platform.

• Bonuses;
  
• Surge pricing;
  
• Going online at the busiest times;
  
• Accepting all orders;
  
• Turning on back-to-back rides.
  

Top-performing full-time Bolt drivers in major cities such as Johannesburg can make up to R7000 per month. Part-time drivers in major cities can make up to R120 per hour compared to the minimum wage of R20 per hour.

Bolt charges 15% to 20% commission on the final order price depending on the city — for both cash and card rides. However, this commission doesn’t apply to tips, bonuses, and airport or toll fees. 

As well as the opportunity to make more money for you and your loved ones, the Bolt driver app offers a seamless earning experience:

• Weekly earnings: payments are calculated automatically every week. The payment cycle runs from Monday (00:00) to the following Sunday (23:59) with an option for early cashout. 
  
• Cash-out: drivers can cash out their earnings before the standard weekly payout for a small fee.
  
• Flexible schedule: you choose when you want to drive and earn. This means you control when you want to earn and when you want to spend time with your family, learning new skills, or taking a rest day!
  
• Equal earning opportunities: platform earnings are directly linked to driver activity and the number of completed trips. This eliminates any possibility of gender pay discrimination. At Bolt, Women drivers earn the same as men. 
  

A 9-5 vs driving with Bolt

To help you make your decision, we’ve compared Bolt against a standard 9-5 job across various factors. If you want to earn flexibly and be your own boss, then signing up as a Bolt driver could be the right choice!

Still not sure?

One of the key perks of signing up to drive with Bolt is that you get complete ownership of your time and work schedule — which is great for your mental well-being! Plus, you’ll get all of those added benefits that we discussed.😉

If you’re still not quite sure which way to go, then remember that you can test the waters with Bolt to begin. You can work your 9-5 job and drive part-time with Bolt simultaneously. And remember that part-time drivers in major cities like Johannesburg earn up to R120 per hour weekly — so there’s no harm trying.

Now, you have all that you need to make the decision to sign up to drive today!

Want to earn flexibly and on your schedule? Sign up on our website!