Ride-hailing company Bolt has announced a significant reduction in offline trips — rides conducted outside the app’s full oversight — with a 42% decline recorded over the past three months. This development was shared during a Public Safety Summit hosted by the company in Lagos, Nigeria, where Bolt also highlighted a sharp increase in the adoption of its in-app safety tools.
According to Bolt, over 31,000 users are now actively using the Trusted Contacts feature — a nearly 300% increase from 7,839 users in January. This feature allows riders to share their trip details in real time with trusted friends or family members. Additionally, more than 5,500 riders have activated the Pick-Up Code feature, which requires drivers to input a unique code before a trip can begin, ensuring identity verification and reducing impersonation risks.
These figures, Bolt says, reflect a growing trust in its safety infrastructure, especially as competitors like inDrive continue to promote direct, often offline, negotiations between drivers and riders — a practice that bypasses app-based safety protocols and regulatory oversight.
Offline trips, while attractive to drivers due to the absence of commission fees, pose serious safety concerns. They disable critical features such as GPS tracking, emergency assistance, and driver identity verification. In densely populated cities like Lagos, this has led to a rise in unresolved incidents and a lack of accountability, prompting concern from both users and regulators.
While Bolt did not provide detailed insight into the mechanisms behind the 42% drop in offline trips, the company emphasized that the shift is part of a broader strategy to reinforce safety and transparency across its platform.
The summit, which brought together representatives from government agencies, law enforcement, civil society organizations, and the Bolt rider community, comes on the heels of a recent intervention by the Lagos State Government. Authorities had summoned major ride-hailing operators, including Bolt and Uber, to address escalating concerns around rider safety and regulatory compliance.
Osi Oguah, General Manager of Bolt Nigeria, stated:
Safety is not just a feature — it is fundamental to the service we provide. The Public Safety Summit is a pivotal moment in how we engage with our users. It’s a rider-first platform designed to listen, learn, and collaborate on innovative ways to make our services safer and more responsive.
Bolt described the summit as the beginning of a community-led approach to urban mobility safety in Nigeria — a model that has been largely absent in the ride-hailing sector. The lack of structured dialogue between operators and drivers has contributed to frequent service disruptions, including strikes and platform shutdowns over the past two years.
The company reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, safety education, and platform-wide accountability, positioning itself as a proactive partner in the government’s efforts to regulate the sector more effectively. As Lagos commuters continue to navigate the trade-off between affordability and safety, Bolt’s latest data underscores both its internal progress and the broader challenges of managing urban mobility in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving transportation landscape.
