Safer e-hailing feature introduced
For safety reasons protecting both the passenger and driver, Bolt introduced a selfie verification feature.
Bolt, the on-demand mobility platform in Africa, has introduced a driver’s selfie verification feature to increase passenger safety by combating driver impersonation.
They have fully rolled out the feature to all drivers operating on the Bolt platform across South Africa.
It will require drivers to take a selfie, thus verifying their identity before going online.
The driver’s selfie will be matched against the government database (Department of Home Affairs) to ensure the correct driver is behind the wheel.
Drivers, at random, will also occasionally be prompted to share a live selfie to ensure that the correct driver is behind the wheel while online.
According to the regional manager at Eastern and Southern Africa, Takura Malaba, driver impersonation is an issue across the ride-hailing industry.
“We are aiming to tackle that issue by permanently blocking all drivers caught renting out their profile since this constitutes fraud and could compromise the safety of our platform. We have also taken steps to ensure driver safety, as well by requiring riders who request from previously identified high-incidence hotspots to take a selfie of themselves before requesting a trip,” said Malaba.
“Both features enhance driver-rider trust by consolidating the overall safety of our platform.”
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