Kenya: Bolt Announces Price Hike Amid Increase in Fuel Cost

Ride-hailing app, Bolt has increased its fares by 4 percent, an increment it said, is aimed at hedging driver earnings on the platform against the 3.9 percent increase in fuel cost.

Under the new rates, bolt riders will get an additional Shs 0.47 for each Km completed on-trip.

Bolt previously charged Shs 26.90 per kilometre on its budget ride category (dubbed Lite), and the new changes will see the prices go up to Shs 27.37 per kilometre in Nairobi.

Bolt has also increased the minimum fare for the Lite category from Shs 150 to Shs.180 and start fee from Shs. 55 to Shs. 70.

Bolt Base, Bolt Green and Bolt Women Only will also have similar increases in fare per Km. Per Km prices on the XL category will increase by Shs 0.66 fare per Km as these are larger engine cars.

Kenneth Micah, Regional Manager, Bolt Eastern Africa, in a statement, said that the new prices will reflect the current market realities expressing confidence that the rates will cushion against rising in fuel cost, and therefore contribute to sustained strong earnings on the platform.

“Drivers are at the core of our operations, and we truly believe that happy drivers provide better quality service for customers. As such, we’ve been doing extensive reviews to ensure that we continue to provide the best earnings for drivers on our platform and remain the most affordable and preferred platform by customers,” he said.

The changes will be implemented across all Bolt ride categories in Nairobi as the company undertakes to review fares across other towns in line with the EPRA guidelines on fuel prices per city.