Bolt has enhanced its security measures and blocked ride requests across countries amid a concerning and foolish trend by South African and Nigerian netizens, who have been requesting fake rides wasting precious time and fuel for driver-partners in both countries.
The issue, which emerged from a prank involving false ride requests across borders, has been addressed with a series of swift and decisive actions to safeguard the platform’s integrity and protect its users, says Simo Kalajdzic, Senior Operations Manager at Bolt.
Following a thorough investigation, Bolt has enhanced security measures such as the restriction of ride requests across countries, to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
Additionally, those responsible for this malicious activity have been identified and blocked from using the Bolt app.
“We understand the impact this situation has had on our driver-partners in Nigeria and South Africa. We are committed to ensuring a safe, reliable, and secure experience for all members of our community.
“We thank our driver-partners for their patience and professionalism during this time and remain dedicated to supporting them in every possible way,” Kalajdzic said.
Kalajdzic emphasised that Bolt’s primary concern is maintaining a safe and reliable platform for both driver-partners and riders and reaffirmed its commitment to the platforms’ zero-tolerance policy to abuse.
On Thursday, a number of South African and Nigerian netizens participated in a tug of war involving a silly prank of ordering Bolt and then cancelling them after drivers have waited for a long time, in order to inconvenience and financially harm the drivers in both countries.
This act of recklessness from both sides reflects the complex and often competitive relationship between Nigeria and South Africa, and has only intensified the hostility between the two nations.
IOL