Grace Ashiru
Bolt, the ride-hailing behemoth, has pledged €2.5 million to enhance gender diversity and encourage more women to enter the ride-hailing sector with its new “Women at the Wheels” campaign.
In March 2023, a poll of 2,000 women in Europe and Africa showed that only 7.2% thought about driving as a way to make money. Bolt says it is committed to addressing women’s concerns and problems in the ride-hailing business. It does this by giving women incentives like partnered courses for driving in challenging situations and bonuses to help them get started making money.
The “Women at the Wheels” campaign will include various measures, such as creating awareness through video interviews with female drivers and partnering with local NGOs advocating for women’s rights.
The poll by Bolt showed that safety is a big reason why some women don’t want to drive. This could be because of the risk of harassment, discrimination, or bad treatment from male coworkers or customers.
Bolt has added safety features for drivers and riders to address these worries. One of these is a feature that lets drivers share their location in real-time with friends or family, which adds an extra layer of protection.
Bolt wants to make its ride-hailing app safer for everyone by adding a “Women for Women” category that lets female drivers pick up and drop off other women for extra safety and convenience.
