Bolt Nigeria will henceforth suspend the accounts of drivers who solicit offline trips. This was revealed in a statement by the ride-hailing company .
According to the hailing company, this move is aimed at deterring users on its platform from taking offline trips and paying off the app. The company hopes the move will further enhance the safety and well-being of riders.
This development is coming as the on-demand mobility company introduced a new offline trip cancellation feature in its app. With the new feature, riders will now be able to cancel a trip by selecting the option ‘driver asked to pay off-the-app’ under specific circumstances.
“The feature is expected to empower riders to take immediate action should they encounter situations where the driver asks for payment for a trip outside the app, requests payment exceeding the agreed-upon trip fare, or encourages cancellation of the trip to go offline,” the statement reads.
Speaking on the development, Bolt Nigeria Country Manager, Yahaya Mohammed explained that the cancellation feature is designed to cut down on offline trips and address instances where drivers insist on charging rates exceeding those on the app. He said the company strongly discourages both drivers and riders from using the platform to exchange contact details or negotiate for offline trips as it goes against the safety and reliability they aim to uphold for users.
