It’s smart to do a bit of research before jumping into anything. This includes finding out how much would you earn as a Bolt driver in Johannesburg before signing up. This article gives you all the details about the average monthly earnings, driver bonuses and all else necessary.

So, first things first.

How much does a Bolt driver earn in Johannesburg?

You’ll get paid out once a week.

The payment cycle runs from the first hours of Monday to the last minutes of Sunday.

You will receive your pay + bonuses as one payout during the first half of the week. Normally it should take between 1–2 business days to reflect in your account.

On average, Bolt drivers in Johannesburg earn up to R8,000.

From each trip, Bolt charges only a 20% commission.

There are also ways to increase your earnings as a Bolt driver

#1 Driver bonuses

To qualify to receive a driver bonus, drivers must fulfil the set requirements. These may involve completing a minimum number of rides within a given time period, maintaining a set acceptance rate or having high ratings to qualify.

You should always be on the lookout for bonuses!

Do this by constantly checking the messages we send you as they give you details on when and how can you earn extra money as a Bolt driver. Also, keep an eye on the Campaigns tab in the Driver app. Follow the guide you see when tapping on a campaign.’

How to check your bonus balance?

To look at your balance, log in to the driver portal. The second option for reviewing your income is to select the Earnings tab from the Home screen of your Bolt app.

Keep in mind that you can only view bonuses earned on the previous day.

#2 The best times for driving Johannesburg

As you gain some experience on the road, you will notice that there are busy hours and not-so-busy hours.

Top drivers increase their earnings by driving during the morning and evening peak hours, also taking some hours off during low-demand hours to have a rest and enjoy the day. Think of it like this: more people needing a ride = more opportunities to earn as a driver via the Bolt app.

You too can increase your earnings by driving during busier times, such as 6:00-9:00 in the mornings and 16:00-19:00 in the evenings on weekdays and all through the weekend!

become bolt driver in johannesburg

Take advantage of these peak driving times to maximise your earnings and minimise downtimes.

Remember that off-peak hours don’t mean you need to get off the roads. Use your local city knowledge of busy areas like malls and airports as well as the live map feature on the Bolt Driver app to see where the hotspots are at every time of the day.

#3 Driving in the right places

As already said above, in every city, there are hotspots where lots of people are ordering rides.

Drivers who are in these areas are likely to earn more due to a higher amount of rides and possibly higher fares from surge pricing. Keep an eye on big events such as concerts or big matches at sports arenas, people will definitely be needing a ride on such occasions.

Here’s a snapshot of JHB’s well-known busy areas:

Sandton
Illovo
Parkhurst
Bryanston
Rivonia
Joburg Central
OR Tambo Airport
Melville
Hatfield
Centurion
Menlyn

#4 Accepting as many rides as possible

Let’s talk about a very useful feature in Bolt – back-to-back rides.

Back-to-back rides mean that as your current trip is about to end, another trip is lined up for you and when you complete the ride, you can proceed to the new pick-up location right away. This helps reduce the waiting time between rides and increases your earnings and overall ride efficiency.

PS! Declining a back-to-back ride affects your Bolt driver activity score in the app, so make sure you’ll confirm the final destination with your rider before starting the journey. For disabling back-to-back rides, open the three stripes on the top right corner when you have accepted a ride and toggle the “Accept next ride” button to disable.

In addition to accepting as many back-to-back rides as you can, it’s smart to keep your activity score high by accepting the majority of orders that come your way.

When you turn down a request just because you don’t like the name of the rider, you reduce your own earnings and bring down your activity score. Low activity score means the system will automatically serve you fewer orders. Also, if 20% of the last 100 orders you get have been rejected, your account will automatically be blocked by the system.

Remember that it is reasonable to cancel a trip after accepting if you do not feel safe. Please use the SOS button to provide more information.

Now that you have an overview of the earnings, let’s talk about signing up.

What do you need to become a Bolt driver?

It’s easy, you need to have a car, a few years’ of driving experience and some other boxes ticked. There’s nothing complicated and time-consuming. For specifics about documents and car requirements, head to the article: How to become a driver in Johannesburg?

Using the Bolt Driver app

You can find the Bolt Driver app in App Store or Google Play. Once you have downloaded the app, log in. You’ll receive your login details directly to your email after your driver application has been approved.

For going online, swipe right and set your radius. When you get a ride request, you will see the pickup address and the estimated time of arrival. Swipe right to accept. When you have reached the pickup point, swipe right to notify the passenger about your arrival.

go online bolt driver

To learn more about how to get more out of Bolt Driver app, head to this article.

Benefits of Bolt drivers

Signing up as a Bolt driver comes with many perks.

You get:

Bolt trip protection: A no-cost, value added insurance protection that gives you cover for up to R30,000 in the case of unexpected incidents or accidents while driving on the platform.

Score to keep: driver rating

Leaving a good impression and generally being a good human being is valuable when you’re interacting with people on a daily basis. And let’s be honest – as a Bolt driver, you are surrounded by people for the majority of your day. People who will rate you and can either leave positive feedback or describe how bad their ride experience was.

High ratings mean that you can continue using the app as well as enjoy great bonuses and perks, while low ratings can lead to you losing your driving privileges.

A few tips:

When your passenger has hopped in, always make sure the set destination is final to avoid misunderstandings later on.
Keeping your car clean and driving safely will also impact on your ratings.
Also, don’t forget to greet your passengers and wish them a good day. It makes a big difference!

drive with bolt in johannesburg

Also important: activity score

Your activity score gives you an overview of your daily driving activity. It is calculated based on the last 40 journeys and is updated with each new one. If 20% of the last 40 journeys have been rejected, your account will automatically be blocked by the system.

Staying healthy

There are a lot of health tips flying around these days. You cannot pass a newspaper stand without noticing some hearty tips. We just want to remind you that you are your most valuable asset. Take some time to look after yourself; it will pay off.

Drink water
Eat healthily
Sleep
Relax

sign up as bolt driver in johannesburg

And that’s it.

Do you have any unanswered questions? support.bolt.eu will help.

Also, don’t hesitate to send us a message via your Bolt Driver app.

This is how much you can earn as a Bolt driver in Johannesburg

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