Ensuring the safety of our communities is always our number one priority. Today, we’d like to highlight the processes and features Bolt has in place to keep drivers safe when out on the road.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a long-time Bolt driver or you’ve only recently started; we recommend reading through this article and keeping this information handy.

Bolt driver safety features

As a company, we invest time and effort into helping both riders and drivers stay safe while on the road.

24/7 incident support

Drivers can contact Bolt directly from the app via the Support tab or the SOS button if needed. All safety-related cases are assigned to a dedicated Bolt Safety Specialist who will initiate an investigation. We’re available 24 hours, seven days a week.

The SOS Button

An emergency may call for swift action. If at any point during your journey you feel unsafe, please use the in-app SOS button in the top right corner of the map portion of your screen.

This will send an instant message to a Bolt Safety Specialist, who will contact you and notify the police or other emergency services.

Rider ratings

After reaching the destination, we ask you to rate the rider who stepped out of your car. This lets us gather feedback on everyone who uses our services.

Ratings give us more precise insights into good and bad behaviours observed on the platform.

In case of consistent bad behaviour, we’ll take appropriate action against the offending party. So, always remember to rate your passengers; it’s one of the easiest ways to ensure safer trips for all users.

Flagged incidents

If you flag an incident, the passenger will receive a message directing them to Bolt’s Rider Guidelines. If a rider’s feedback rating dips below a certain threshold, that rider will be warned and suspended. Initial suspensions last for at least six months.

Static vehicle checks

We monitor your driving activity when you’re on a trip in the Bolt Driver app.

After starting a journey, if your vehicle becomes stationary for a set period, a Bolt Safety Specialist will be prompted to give you and the rider a call to check in and ensure you’re okay.

In-app chat for anonymous discussions

If you need to communicate with your passenger before picking them up, you can make contact using the in-app chat feature in your app. This allows you to communicate with a passenger without sharing your phone number.

Introducing the driver trip-sharing feature

On top of the above safety features, you can now share your route details with a third party if you wish during a trip.

The trip-sharing functionality lets you share a link containing real-time journey information. You can share the link via email, SMS, or other popular messaging apps like Messenger and WhatsApp.

Anyone with access to the link can then see your real-time location. And accessing the link and tracking the journey doesn’t require someone to install the Bolt app.

Because we value the privacy of our drivers and riders, the shared link is only available for one ride. So you’ll need to share trip details for each individual ride if you wish to.

*Bolt products and features vary by country. Those mentioned in this article may not be available in your app. We tailor our features to local conditions to ensure they’re as relevant and helpful as possible.

Questions? Please reach out!

Our mission is to help people move away from private car ownership and towards shared mobility. Keeping drivers safe is an essential part of achieving that.

If you have any questions about safety or anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Simply open your Bolt Driver app, and get in touch with us via the Support button. We’re always happy to help!

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