{"id":59284,"date":"2025-01-09T14:39:17","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T14:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/?p=59284"},"modified":"2025-01-09T14:39:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T14:39:17","slug":"bolt-quietly-introduces-fixed-pricing-amid-rising-e-hailing-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/2025\/01\/09\/bolt-quietly-introduces-fixed-pricing-amid-rising-e-hailing-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"Bolt Quietly Introduces Fixed Pricing Amid Rising E-Hailing Costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Emmanuel Ogbodo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bolt, one of Nigeria\u2019s leading ride-hailing platforms, appears to have quietly switched to a fixed pricing model, mirroring inDrive\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n

This shift means fares remain unchanged from the moment a ride is booked, regardless of detours or delays.<\/p>\n

Drivers have noted the transition, with many expressing frustration.<\/p>\n

\u201cBolt riders don\u2019t ask for the price at the end of trips anymore. They just pay what they saw when booking,\u201d said<\/p>\n

Willie, a Bolt driver. Another driver, Osemhen, described the move as \u201cshocking,\u201d noting that Bolt made the change without notifying drivers.<\/p>\n

While some drivers report occasional fare adjustments for unexpected route changes, others say the pricing remains rigid.<\/p>\n

Jude, for instance, recounted a trip where a rider took him beyond the app\u2019s designated destination, yet the fare remained unchanged at \u20a622,300.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the passenger voluntarily added \u20a61,000 to compensate for the extra distance.<\/p>\n

Many drivers argue that fixed fares fail to account for traffic delays or extended trips, leading some to demand additional payments directly from riders.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to make a stop along the way, you\u2019ll have to add money,\u201d one driver explained.<\/p>\n

Others now negotiate fares upfront before picking up passengers to avoid losses.<\/p>\n

With fuel prices soaring, e-hailing drivers across Nigeria are adopting unconventional cost-saving measures.<\/p>\n

In cities like Calabar and Uyo, drivers often negotiate fares offline and turn off air conditioning to conserve fuel.<\/p>\n

Some passengers claim they are asked to pay extra if they want the AC on.<\/p>\n

This growing tension between drivers and riders has led to disputes. In one case, a Lagos-based inDrive driver was removed from the platform after demanding additional payment for using AC.<\/p>\n

Addressing the issue, inDrive Africa\u2019s PR Manager, Lineo Thakhisi, reiterated the company\u2019s zero-tolerance policy for unethical behavior, stating: \u201cDemanding additional fees beyond the agreed fare is unacceptable. We have taken decisive action, including removing the driver from our platform and reaching out to the passenger for support.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the e-hailing landscape shifts, Bolt\u2019s new pricing model signals a potential industry-wide trend, forcing both drivers and passengers to adapt to changing economic realities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Emmanuel Ogbodo Bolt, one of Nigeria\u2019s leading ride-hailing platforms, appears to have quietly switched to a fixed pricing model, mirroring inDrive\u2019s approach. This shift means fares remain unchanged from the moment a ride is booked, regardless of detours or delays. Drivers have noted the transition, with many expressing frustration. \u201cBolt riders don\u2019t ask for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":59285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59284"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59286,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59284\/revisions\/59286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}