‘Bolt, never again’ – disgruntled local

Graham Kichenbrand, who is at his wits’ end, claims that there are a number of cases pending against Bolt drivers and that nothing is being done about it.

He recently opened a case of robbery at Germiston SAPS following an unpleasant experience while using Bolt services.

On August 11, late in the evening, he landed at OR Tambo International Airport and used the Bolt app to get to his New Redruth home.

“The driver called ‘Mazwi’ with a blue Toyota picked me up five minutes later. I made sure the registration number is the same. My wife asked me to share the trip details with her and I send a screenshot of the details on the app as well. All the way on the highway he was traveling between 40 and 60km’s while checking his mirrors and phone,” he said.

Just after Bedfordview, Kichenbrand said he had a feeling something was wrong as though someone was following them.

At the interchange at the N3 Durban, Johannesburg and Germiston the driver reportedly took the Johannesburg turn off.

“I told him he should’ve gone straight. He replied ‘sorry’ and carried on. I told him to take the Germiston turn off and get back on the N3 from there, he did. As we got back on the highway at the Albany bakery, this white car started pushing us off the road. As we nearly came to a stop, I jumped out of the car and tried to get away to the other side of the highway for help. The Bolt driver shouted ‘don’t get out’,” explained Kichenbrand.

In between the highways, the one suspect caught him and started kicking and hitting him.

He got hold of his phone and Kichenbrand held on to his wallet and fought back.

“Then he shouted ‘we’re not here to play. He gave up and ran back to the car and they drove off, including the Bolt driver. As they drove off, the white car turned around on the highway and came back for me. I ran to the opposite side of the highway and tried to stop cars for help and then they gave up and drove off,” he said.

In despair, he walked for about five kilometres and kept checking if they may be coming back for him. He managed to fortunately stop a security company and asked him for help around midnight.

“Then I got an email from Bolt saying ‘thanks for using Bolt services’. ‘Dropped off at Rand Airport’ not at my house as I requested. How can a driver change the destination without Bolt knowing about it? The next morning we found it happened to another lady the previous week. She informed Bolt of this and they still left him on the app,” said Kichenbrand.

He said they tried phoning their head offices on a land line and a cell number provided on their website, but one cannot get through.

Sergeant Maxwell Mabunda of Germiston confirmed that in the past two weeks, they had about four similar cases.

“We are aware of these crimes. A case of robbery was opened at the station and we are still investigating. The community should be aware when requesting. They should share their location with their loved ones,” he said.

Bolt’s response

In a statement, Bolt says it wants to reiterate their commitment to safety.

It says it condemns any and all violence, intimidation or extortion directed toward passengers.

“Any security-related reports are immediately flagged and attended to by our dedicated safety team, who are responsible for investigating each complaint and ensuring the right action is taken. We then take proactive steps,” it stated.

It blocks the specific driver from the platform, conducts a thorough internal investigation to consider past journeys and historical ratings, and engages with affected passengers directly.

Bolt stated that it provides all the necessary support that they may require.

“We provide all information and assistance required by the SAPS to bring criminal charges against those found guilty of breaking the law,” it stated.