The Bolt 2024 sustainability wrap-up
2024 was a big year for Bolt: the SBTi validated our emission reduction targets, we became a participant in the UN Global Compact, and we published our Diversity and Inclusion Policy.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves — we’ll walk you through our 2024 sustainability highlights one by one (and decipher those acronyms along the way!).
Bolt’s three sustainability pillars
Our Sustainability Strategy focuses on:
- Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.
- Enhancing our positive social impact.
- Governing our organisation in a risk-aware and transparent way.
This blog post is structured around these three pillars.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Our primary environmental goal is clear: to reach carbon net-zero by 2040. To get there, we’re measuring our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across all our products and markets to understand where we can make the most impact.
Joining the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
A major milestone: the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a globally respected climate action organisation, has officially validated our emissions reduction targets.
By setting public goals and receiving third-party validation, we’re making it clear that we’re aligning our efforts with climate science and the Paris Agreement.
Key environmental metrics: 2024 progress
Here’s a brief overview of our key metrics for environmental sustainability:
1 London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Stockholm, Madrid, Lisbon
In 2023, we tested a tailored emissions factor approach to calculate GHG emissions, aiming to better align the methodology with the type of data available.
However, the trial didn’t yield the expected improvements in accuracy. As a result, we reverted to the 2022 methodology in 2024 and plan to continue using it for the foreseeable future. Using this method, the GHG emissions intensity was 199 g CO₂e/km in 2022. In 2024, we observed a notable decrease compared to that baseline.
We’re also expanding the number of sites that directly procure renewable electricity. The remainder are covered by Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs), meaning all our sites are now powered by renewable electricity.
Project Zero — Bolt’s zero-emission vehicle strategy
Since ride-hailing accounts for most of our emissions, we launched Project Zero to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).
We’re aiming for zero-emission vehicles to make up 50% of our ride-hailing fleet across Europe — and as much as 70% in some markets.
Project Zero focuses on three key areas:
- Increasing awareness of and access to zero-emission vehicles.
- Making charging easier and more accessible.
- Growing rider demand for zero-emission rides.
To help drivers make informed decisions, we launched the Electric Car Savings Calculator with Volteum. The tool offers personalised cost comparisons between electric and conventional cars, factoring in real-world usage, electricity prices, and charging habits.
A key insight: 35% of drivers identified the high upfront cost as their main barrier to switching to EVs. To address this, we supported local fleet owners by co-financing new premium electric cars in several European countries.
We also piloted innovative projects, like:
- Introducing electric 3-wheeler ride-hailing services in Malta.
- Launching electric ride-hailing motorcycles in Kenya.
Charging remains a major barrier to EV adoption — 72% of drivers cite access and costs as their main challenges when driving electric vehicles.
In 2024, we took steps to address this:
- Opened our first ultra-fast EV charging hub in central Stockholm with JBCharge.
- Partnered with charging providers to offer better access and exclusive charging discounts for Bolt driver partners and fleets across France, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Portugal.
We’re learning from these pilots to create solutions that are practical, scalable, and tailored to real-world driver needs.
We’re building demand for zero-emission rides by promoting our initiatives across media, our website, blog, social media, and direct communications.
In cities where a sufficient number of electric vehicles are available, we promote the EV ride category in the app during trip requests.
To take it a step further, we send in-app messages encouraging users to choose zero-emission vehicles more often — helping make such travel options easier and more top-of-mind every time they book.
Voluntary climate action
In 2024, we continued to offset emissions from our micromobility operations and Bolt Business services.
We also took an extra step by partnering with Milkywire, a platform funding climate impact projects — not just carbon offsets.
Projects supported include:
- Decarbonising hospitals in Africa
- Offering regenerative farming training in Tanzania
- Developing carbon removal technology in Scotland
Through the supported projects, we’re helping accelerate global progress towards net-zero goals.
Bolt Market sustainability initiatives
In 2024, Bolt Market, our grocery delivery service, achieved a 30% year-on-year reduction in food waste compared to 2023, based on the purchase value of discarded items.
This progress was largely driven by a 70% increase in sales of the “Save Me” category, which features discounts on near-expiry products.
In Estonia, we also piloted several operational improvements, including:
- Reducing heating needs by repurposing residual warmth from fridges.
- Saving energy by upgrading to LED lighting.
- Streamlining operations by digitalising processes.
- Encouraging store landlords to switch to renewable electricity sources.
Living Vroom: upcycling car parts into urban furniture
In a creative sustainability project called Living Vroom, we collaborated with Interesting Times Gang to transform an old car into street furniture — a small but powerful reminder that sustainability can be both practical and inspiring.
Enhancing positive social impact
We empower communities, support our partners, and prioritise safety across all services.
Joining the UN Global Compact
In 2024, we applied to become a participant in the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) — and were accepted in early 2025!
The UNGC is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, uniting over 8,000 signatories across 135+ countries. It champions ten universal human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption principles, aligning business strategies with broader UN goals.
We’ll implement the UNGC Management Model, and our employees will have free access to UNGC Academy sustainability training.
Urban Fund launch
We launched the Urban Fund, a social impact programme designed to drive sustainable urban living, economic empowerment, and community support.
Key initiatives include:
- Sustainable Urban Transitions Lab (in partnership with ETH Zurich) to develop data-driven transport solutions for cities.
- Bolt Accelerator Programme, funding mobility startups and training 360+ driver/courier partners.
- Community and emergency support projects: refurbishing bikes for refugees, providing scooters for paramedics, and free rides during times of crisis.
The Urban Fund reflects our belief that cities should be made for people, not cars. And organisations and cities are invited to partner with us to shape the future of urban mobility.
Implementing our Diversity and Inclusion Policy
In 2024, we published our first Diversity and Inclusion Policy.
Our CEO sums it up: ‘Bolt’s DEI policy is meritocracy above all. People should succeed based on their talent and hard work, not demographic factors.’
We’ve also set six company-wide goals to guide our progress over the next few years:
- Increase female representation in senior roles to 30% by 2027.
- Increase female representation in managerial roles to 40% by 2027.
- Increase the portion of employees from our international markets in senior roles to 25% by 2027.
- Ensure we have a 0% adjusted gender pay gap.
- Increase the share of employees who feel treated equally, regardless of background.
- Train our entire workforce on diversity and inclusion by 2025.
Safety
Safety remains a top priority across all our services.
In micromobility, we’re committed to our Safety Pledge, which focuses on areas like strong city partnerships, effective rider education, and maintaining high vehicle standards.
The Bolt Safety team has introduced a range of new technologies to make riding safer, including:
- The Good Rider Score to encourage responsible behaviour.
- Tandem riding prevention to stop unsafe riding practices.
- Intoxicated riding prevention to help keep riders and others safe.
We also focus heavily on education, offering in-app safety materials, the Bolt Rider Academy, and hands-on training sessions to help users ride smarter and safer.
We continue to work on the Safety Pledge, which focuses on reducing the rates of accidents, injuries, and severe injuries. For the latest insights on our progress, see the 2024 Bolt Micromobility Safety Report.
In ride-hailing, we rolled out new safety features to give passengers and driver partners more peace of mind, as well as help our customer support respond more effectively:
- In-app audio recording allows drivers and passengers to start recording audio during a ride if they feel unsafe. The encrypted file is stored for 24 hours.
- Users can also add an emergency contact, making it quicker to get help if needed.
Read more about safety:
Conversation with the Bolt Safety team
Risk management and governance
We’re ensuring the long-term success of our sustainability initiatives through robust oversight and management of potential risks.
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) readiness
We’re preparing for the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the EU’s new reporting standard.
Key milestones so far:
- We conducted a Double Materiality Assessment with PwC, identifying 744 relevant data points on topics such as climate change, employee well-being, and ethics.
- We partnered with Workiva to streamline data management and ensure accurate, efficient sustainability reporting.
Although our first report has been postponed to 2028, we’re working to strengthen our data collection processes and ensure the highest possible reporting quality.
Looking ahead
Bolt’s sustainability journey is focused on real-world impact — reducing emissions, supporting communities, and making shared mobility a force for good.
Stay tuned for more progress in 2025!
