We understand that trips may sometimes need to be cancelled unexpectedly. However, to ensure fairness for both passengers and drivers, a cancellation fee may be charged in specific situations.
When is a cancellation fee applied?
The system will apply a cancellation fee in the following situations:
- The driver has arrived at the pickup location and waited for more than 3 minutes, but you did not show up, resulting in a cancellation.
- You cancel the request more than 3 minutes after the booking was successfully accepted.
Why is there a cancellation fee?
- The cancellation fee is paid to the driver to compensate them for the time and effort spent travelling to your pickup location.
- It helps balance the interests of both parties when a driver has arrived and waited as promised but cannot complete the trip due to a cancellation.
How to avoid cancellation fees?
To ensure a smooth journey and avoid unnecessary fees, we recommend:
- Only ordering a ride when you are near the pickup point and ready to go.
- Keeping an eye on the driver’s status in the app after booking, and heading to the pickup point early.
- Using the in-app chat or call function to contact the driver immediately if any issues arise.
How to check if you were charged a cancellation fee?
If a cancellation fee applies to your trip:
- You will see a warning notification in the app when cancelling. You can choose to proceed with the cancellation and accept the fee, or wait for the driver.
- You will receive an email invoice (sent to the address set in your app) detailing the cancellation fee amount.
(You can check the cancellation fee amounts for each category in the app: simply select a category and tap on "Fare breakdown" under the category name.)
Please Note: Authorization Fee is not a Cancellation Fee
Sometimes you may see a temporary pending charge. This is an authorization fee used to verify the validity of your payment method, not an actual charge. This amount is usually released automatically within minutes, or up to 14 business days.
It is likely an authorization fee, not a cancellation fee, if:
- No cancellation fee warning appeared in the app when you cancelled the ride.
- The cancelled order in your ride history does not show any fare amount.
If you have any questions about a cancellation fee or believe you were charged unfairly, please contact our Customer Support team via the "Support" section in the Bolt app. We are here to assist you.
