Mar 8, 2021
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #ChooseToChallenge. And here at Bolt, we’re choosing to challenge with the help of our riders.
We sent a survey to Bolt riders across 8 countries to see if there were any perceived differences between female and male Bolt drivers. The findings, based on 60,000 responses, were surprising.
74% of total survey respondents told us that they think men are perceived as better drivers than women in society. But when it comes to Bolt riders, 63% (based on the average across 8 countries) consider men and women to be equally good drivers.
In true Bolt style, we crunched additional numbers and analysed the data. Now, it’s time to let the results do the talking.
Before we asked about Bolt riders’ actual experience, we wanted to get an understanding of attitudes towards female drivers. 74% of respondents said that there’s a common societal belief that men are better drivers than women.
Beliefs are one thing, but let’s see what our riders think in reality…
Next up, we asked our riders: “Do you think there’s a difference between how men and women drive?”
Despite the above result, our data shows that the majority of Bolt riders don’t think there’s any difference between female and male drivers! And why should there be?
After every Bolt trip, riders rate their driver’s overall performance out of 5 stars. And as we can see, women drivers achieved an impressive average score of 4.9!
To make things even better, male Bolt drivers also have an average rating of 4.9.
This highlights the fact that all Bolt drivers are great at driving professionally and safely while also offering a high level of service. It’s why our riders love them so much!
Bolt rides are fast, affordable and convenient. But on top of that, 91% of riders agreed that what makes a good driver is someone who makes them feel safe.
In addition to safe driving, Bolt riders value drivers who act professionally and make you feel safe in their presence. Only 14% of survey respondents consider driving fast a sign of good driver skills.
On top of working with the best drivers, we have various app features designed to increase the safety of riders and drivers. So, whether your driver is female or male, you can be sure that safety is a priority both to us and your driver.
Bolt riders don’t think there’s a difference between female and male drivers — and they don’t mind who’s coming to pick them up. 88% of survey respondents told us that it makes no difference to them whether their driver is a man or a woman.
And as we can see, 6% of riders may even prefer a female behind the wheel!
We’re proud to see how far society has come — only a decade ago, it was illegal for women to drive in certain countries and modes of transport. Through the Bolt platform, women can earn flexibly on their own schedule to fit a side gig around their lifestyle.
Throughout history, stereotypes and biases have been aimed at women drivers. But our survey has shown that the Bolt community sees female and male drivers as equals. It doesn’t matter who the driver is — what matters is reaching your destination safely, which we pride ourselves on.
At Bolt, we think it’s time to leave those stereotypes at the car door. Here’s to our women drivers on International Women’s Day! #ChooseToChallenge
