Bolt, before the rebranding in 2019 known as Taxify, is a service similar to Uber, which allows you to order a ride from point A to point B by car with a driver. Generally it can be called a taxi service, but it is more an alternative to a taxi, usually cheaper. The Bolt application can be downloaded to our phones from Google Play for Android and from the App Store for iOS.
Bolt was established as a transport service for transporting people in 2013 in Estonia. In 2019, Bolt is already active in 30 countries, including 50 cities in Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and Australia. The company has 25 clients and over 500,000 drivers.
Bolt operates all around the world in countries such as Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Ghana, Hungary, Iraq, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Ukraine and United Kingdom. Ofcourse not all cities in these countries are supported, Bolt tries to establish themselves in the biggest cities first and then expand in the smaller ones.
Bolt pricing is similar to Uber’s or any other taxi service and depends on the country. It’s usually a flat rate for the ride’s start (around 1-2 euro), something like 0.1 euro for every minute and 0.3-1 euro for every kilometre.
Bolt promo code and discounts – code: 8XLD1 for newly registered
As in Uber, in Bolt we can get a discount for the first ride. With the code: 8XLD1 you will receive -5 euro (or your regional equivalent) discount on the first ride with the Bolt application. In order to use the promotional code, we need to open the Bolt application on the phone and go to the “Promotions” tab and enter the promo code there.
In addition, you can recommend the application to your friends thanks to your unique code and get 5 euro (or your regional equivalent) for each first trip of a friend.
What are the main differences between Bolt and Uber? In Bolt, the driver does not rate passengers with stars, only passengers can assess their driver. In Uber, a cancellation fee is charged on canceling the journey within 5 minutes of the order, in Bolt there is no such charge. The pay conditions for drivers are also slightly better in Bolt than in Uber.
For the most demanding users, there is ofcourse an option to choose a “Comfort” type of journey, for which we will pay a little bit more, but our journey will take place in a high standard which shouldn’t be older than a few years.
If you like the concept of that kind of sharing economy, check out also the AirBNB.