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NTSA Refuses To Renew Operating License For Bolt

By Soko Directory Team / Published October 11, 2023 | 8:27 am

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has refused to renew the license for the taxi-hailing app, Bolt over breaches of transport regulations despite numerous warnings from the regulator.

Bolt has been widely accused of illegal commission charges and booking fees from both customers and drivers, dealing a fresh blow to the company that had controlled a wide share of the Kenyan market. Its license expires in 16 days.

“Please note that the Authority is not able to proceed with the renewal of your operator license until the issues raised by drivers and their representatives are satisfactorily addressed and rectified,” NTSA wrote to Bolt in response to the license renewal application.

According to NTSA, Bolt has been accused of breaching the provisions of Transportation Network Companies (TNC), Owners, Drivers, and Passengers Regulations, 2022, with the most pressing concerns relating to commission charges and an illegal booking fee.

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Bolt drivers have often complained that the company lowers rates purposely to attract more customers with little consideration for drivers. They also say the company gives customers huge discounts at the expense of drivers without informing them.

At the same time, Bolt drivers have often been accused by numerous customers of being rude and unprofessional. The majority of them have been accused of stealing from their passengers as well as mistreating some of them by beating them up.

Bolt is the largest ride-hailing service provider in terms of towns, with its services available in 16 towns, including Kakamega, Nakuru, Naivasha, Eldoret, Kitale, Nyeri, Meru, Embu, Nanyuki, Karatina, Kilifi and Malindi.

The firm operates ride-hailing and delivery services in six African countries— Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, and Tunisia— with over 47 million customers and 900,000 drivers on the platform.

About Soko Directory Team

Soko Directory is a Financial and Markets digital portal that tracks brands, listed firms on the NSE, SMEs and trend setters in the markets eco-system.Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/SokoDirectory and on Twitter: twitter.com/SokoDirectory

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