By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigerian drivers have been assured of a better experience and safer trips by a leading ride-hailing platform, Bolt.
The company, in a statement, said it has introduced some features that will improve the safety of drivers on the platform.
It said the driver scores and driver trip sharing features further enforce its commitment to drivers’ well-being as they will give them more control over their ride performance.
The driver score feature is a transparent metric that allows drivers to better understand their in-app performance, encourages improvements in drivers’ habits and helps them aim to offer the best possible rider experience. The feature is designed to increase the quality of service, thus being at the core of a positive driver and rider experience.
The driver trip sharing feature which adds an extra layer of safety for drivers allows them to share a link with their real-time journey information. The link can be shared by Email, SMS, or via instant messaging apps and enables any third party with access to the link to track and follow the driver’s ride status and location in real-time.
The link generated with the driver trip sharing feature is valid for the current ride. Drivers must issue a new link for every ride if they feel necessary to do so. Links will remain active for up to 48 hours if a ride is not finished.
Accessing a link after the ride is finished will notify the user that the link is expired. Driver score is calculated for every last 100 trips performed by a driver. By default, a driver starts off with the maximum possible score of 100 “good” trips. This score will be decreased if the app picks up behaviour that is against good practices or harmful to the rider.
“Drivers are core to our business, so we are always innovating to improve their experience on our platform. The new features we have introduced add to our in-app customer experience and are aimed at helping drivers have more control of their Bolt rides and maximise their earnings within a safe environment.
“The driver score and driver trip sharing features are in line with the entrepreneurial desires of the drivers and improve the overall user experience of the Bolt app.
“We believe that drivers want to offer great services to riders. With the driver score feature, drivers can get constant feedback about their performance which will help them improve.
“The driver trip sharing feature on the other hand will act as a deterrent to people with potentially malicious intent against drivers on the Bolt platform. Overall, riders have the best chances of being paired with a driver who is committed to high-quality service,” the Regional Manager for Bolt in West Africa, Ms Ireoluwa Obatoki, said.