
South Africa: Bolt's new feature tracks flights and adjusts airport pick-up times
If a flight is delayed or cancelled, Bolt will automatically adjust the pick-up time or cancel the ride at no extra cost to the customer.
To schedule a ride, customers simply tap the 'Schedule' button on the home screen next to the destination search bar. After entering their arrival airport and destination, they can select 'Add flight details' to input their flight's landing date, airline, flight number, or departure city.
Customers will also be prompted to choose how many minutes after landing they wish to be picked up allowing Bolt to reschedule the ride automatically based on any flight updates.
Lerato Motsoeneng, senior general manager at Bolt, says, 'Bolt is an official ride-hailing partner at more than 30 airports globally, including OR Tambo International Airport (JNB), Cape Town International Airport (CPT), King Shaka International Airport (DUR), Lanseria International Airport (HLA), and Port Elizabeth Airport (PLZ).
This allows customers to travel directly from Arrivals without the need to find separate pick-up points. With Flight Tracking for Scheduled Rides, our private and Bolt Business customers can now enjoy peace of mind knowing their ride will adjust if their flight is delayed or cancelled at no extra charge. This means less time spent waiting at the airport and more reliable, seamless travel regardless of the hour.'
The new feature follows last year's extension of Bolt's ride scheduling window to 90 days.
In South Africa, Bolt Business continues to grow steadily, offering companies a convenient and cost-effective solution to manage employee and client transportation.
Businesses benefit from scheduled rides, centralised billing, and detailed reporting all while using the same trusted Bolt platform. With growing demand for reliability in corporate travel, Flight Tracking enhances Bolt Business' value proposition, particularly at major South African airports.
Bolt is seeing a sharp rise in advance ride bookings, with its Ride Scheduling feature recording a 275% increase in usage locally. Given that airports are the most popular destination for Bolt trips, Bolt aims to make it even easier for customers to spot pick-up areas, which will help limit waiting time for airport pick-ups by matching a customer's trip with the next available driver partner in the airport's ride-hailing queue.
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