Bolt app vs. Ride Booker: what’s the difference?

Nov 16, 2023

Una trabajadora que se mueve por negocios con Bolt Business.

When you manage your company’s rides with Bolt Business, there are two ways to order transport: in the Bolt app or with Ride Booker

In the Bolt app, your employees will see your company as a payment method. They can then charge work rides straight to your company, removing the hassle of expense reports.

Then there’s Ride Booker, a web-based tool that allows you to arrange transport for other people — such as employees, clients, and guests.

Let’s look at the differences in more detail. 👇

Bolt app vs. Ride Booker

Let’s start by looking at the main differences between the Bolt app and Ride Booker:

  • Your employees can download the Bolt app to their phone and travel for work as and when needed — and set your company as the payment method (as long as the trip meets the rules set by your company).
  • Use Ride Booker from a desktop to arrange transport for employees, clients, and guests.

So, with the Bolt app, someone books work rides for themselves (as well as any colleagues or guests travelling in the same vehicle). 

Meanwhile, Ride Booker is a web-based tool for arranging transport for other people. You can even book several rides simultaneously — something you can’t do in the Bolt app.

To highlight the difference between the two, nobody needs the Bolt app when you arrange transport with Ride Booker. You arrange transport online, and your passenger gets all the details in an SMS.

A key similarity is that you can book rides up to 90 days in advance in the Bolt app (in select cities) and with Ride Booker.

Using the Bolt app for work

The Bolt app doubles up as a business travel app to give employees a convenient, flexible, and reliable way to travel for work. 

In the app, there’s a range of ways to travel based on which of our 45+ countries and 500+ cities you’re travelling in: 

As a Bolt Business client, your employees will see your company as a payment method in their Bolt app — allowing them to charge business travel straight to the company and avoid expense reports. How they can travel, when they can depart, and the amount they can spend all depend on the policies you build in your Company Dashboard.

Person opening the Bolt app to book a work ride.

Get a work ride in minutes

Opening the Bolt app is your first step to getting a ride for work. Next, switch to your company payment method (via the Payment tab in the menu) and follow these steps:

  1. Search for the destination;
  2. Choose a type of vehicle;
  3. Add a note for the driver (if needed);
  4. Confirm your order.

Once connected with a driver, you can follow live tracking to see how close they are to your pickup point. 

Use these tips to make your work rides even more convenient:

  • Add multiple stops to a single ride.
  • Add your work address as a favourite location.
  • Use the Business category.

Find out more features in the Bolt app that will improve your commute.

Rent a car with Bolt Drive

Use Bolt Drive to get all the benefits of a company car without buying or leasing! 

You pay for the distance travelled and rental time — saving you from paying out for rising fuel costs, insurance, and unexpected repair bills.

Before using Bolt Drive for the first time, you must upload your driver’s licence — we’ll verify it within 3 minutes. 

💡Bolt Drive tip: it’s a good idea to verify your driver’s licence ahead of your trip — open your Bolt app, tap Bolt Drive, and follow the steps. Remember, you must be over 20 years old and have held a valid driver’s licence for 1 year.

Business person unlocking a Bolt Drive using the Bolt app.

Beat the traffic on two wheels

Renting Bolt scooters and e-bikes is a convenient, efficient, and sustainable alternative to driving.

In the Bolt app, you’ll see a map showing the location of all the available scooters and e-bikes near you. When you find a scooter in the street, use the Bolt app to scan the QR code and start riding.

💡Tip for travelling on two wheels: reserve a scooter or e-bike for up to 30 minutes.

Schedule your rides 90 days in advance

You can book work rides up to 90 days ahead of time in the Bolt app — perfect for airport transfers and offsite meetings. 

Here’s how to do it:

But scheduling a ride in the Bolt app isn’t the same as Ride Booker — as you’ll now find out. 👇

Arrange travel in advance with Ride Booker

Use Ride Booker to schedule rides for your employees, clients, and guests up to 90 days in advance. 

  • Book rides for employees, clients, or guests.
  • Arrange transport up to 90 days in advance. 
  • Make an order in any country where Bolt Business operates.
  • Set multiple stops during a single journey.
  • Your passenger doesn’t need the Bolt app (they’ll get an SMS with all the ride details).

With Ride Booker, you can book three types of rides for your passengers: scheduled, flexible, and immediate. Here’s the difference: 

  • Scheduled ride: a driver will arrive at a set time to pickup your passenger.
  • Flexible ride: your passenger can activate the ride at any time on a set date using the link in an SMS. 
  • Immediate ride: arrange for a driver to pick up your passenger within minutes.

After booking, the passenger will get an SMS with all the details about the journey.

A business person using the Bolt Business Ride Booker to arrange transport.

Ride Booker vs Scheduled rides

Ride Booker and the in-app scheduled rides feature allow you to book work rides up to 90 days in advance. But the main difference here comes down to being able to arrange transport for other people. 

With Ride Booker, you can book a ride for employees, clients, or guests — even make several bookings simultaneously. When using the in-app scheduled rides feature, you’re booking a ride for yourself (as well as anybody else who is joining you in the vehicle). 

Order meals and groceries with the Bolt Food app

Away from travel, the Bolt Food app gives your team a simple way to order meals or groceries to the office.

You can order lunch for client meetings from the best local restaurants with Bolt Food. And you can use Bolt Market (within the Bolt Food app) to top up the office pantry with coffee, milk, and bananas.

As an admin, you can allow certain team members to charge food orders to the company from your Company Dashboard. Turn on Bolt Food in the appropriate travel policy, and your employees will see your company as a payment method in their Bolt Food app.

Use the Bolt Food app to order all your office essentials from Bolt Market.

Know where business takes your team with Bolt Business

The Bolt app and Ride Booker are only part of the package when you create a Bolt Business account for your company. You’ll also have access to a Company Dashboard where you can manage all areas of your team’s transport. 

From your dashboard, you can build travel policies and set spending limits that your team must stick to when they book a work ride in their Bolt app — and you’ll have complete visibility of every order. Which makes it easier than ever to keep your travel costs within budget.

 

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