Bolt restructures ride classification and introduces Family Profiles in South Africa
Bolt Introduces Family Profiles for Simplified Ride Management in South Africa
Bolt, a leading South African ride-hailing platform, has announced a nationwide redesign of its ride categories and the introduction of a new feature called Family Profiles. This development aims to make ride-hailing safer, more practical, and more convenient for families and diverse user groups.
The redesigned ride categories include Economy, Bolt, Comfort, Business, XL, and Women for Women. These categories have been designed to make trip options clearer and faster to choose. The Family Profiles feature, an extension of this redesign, allows one user to manage and pay for rides for up to nine other people from a single Bolt account.
Family Profiles offers several key features and benefits:
- Centralized Ride Management: One account holder can invite up to nine members to their Family Profile, handle payments centrally, and set monthly spending limits for each member.
- Live Notifications: The account holder receives real-time trip notifications when rides begin and end, improving safety and oversight.
- Independent Ride Requests: Members can independently request rides through the app if they have their own Bolt accounts, while the manager retains financial and activity oversight.
- Age and Account Requirements: Each member must have their own Bolt account and be at least 18 years old, ensuring compliance with safety and legal policies. Booking for unaccompanied minors is not allowed for safety reasons.
- Improved Accessibility: The feature supports parents, caregivers, and those assisting older relatives or people less familiar with ride-hailing apps, reducing the need for manual coordination and sharing of trip details.
The Family Profiles feature, like the redesigned ride categories, links vehicle quality and driver ratings to each category to reward top-rated drivers. Lerato Motsoeneng, Senior GM at Bolt South Africa, stated that the category restructure is about clarity, value, and fairness, aiming to simplify the rider journey and help top-rated drivers earn more.
In addition to Family Profiles, the redesign includes the launch of the feature that allows users to view ride history by member. This feature enables families and support networks to track rides and contact drivers, providing greater control, convenience, and oversight for ride management.
The dual rollout of the redesigned ride categories and Family Profiles aims to simplify ride selection, fairly compensate drivers, and enable safer, more coordinated transport options for families and caregivers.
[1] Bolt's Family Profiles in South Africa [2] Bolt Redesigns Ride Categories in South Africa [4] Bolt's Goal to Make Ride-Hailing Safer and More Convenient
- The introduction of Family Profiles by Bolt in South Africa allows for centralized finance management, as one user can handle payments and set spending limits for up to nine other members, providing a convenient lifestyle solution for families and diverse user groups.
- With the redesign of ride categories in South Africa by Bolt, technology plays a significant role in enhancing safety and convenience, as features like Family Profiles enable real-time notifications, independent ride requests, and improved accessibility for users.
