The effects of COVID-19 lockdowns and reduced disposable income have impacted businesses all over the world, but perhaps none more so than companies in Africa’s consumer-focused sectors. This has highlighted the critical need for African countries to develop and implement a digital-first approach to work, shopping, and other aspects of daily life.
Thousands of Ugandan entrepreneurs and SMEs have stepped into this new realm of e-commerce as an immediate solution to bridge the gap between business offerings and customer needs.
Fortunately, the Bolt team were well-prepared for the challenges that the pandemic threw at them. As a result of the combination of social distancing regulations, they developed systems to assist their riders in adhering to the SOPs.
Bolt, a European mobility app with a local base in Uganda, released data from 2021 to show how people are increasingly using its services for ease of movement in the city.
According to the data, the company’s longest trip worldwide originated in Kampala, Uganda, where the car driver shared a trip totaling 313 kilometers and the boda rider covered 176 kilometers. This shows how Ugandans are steadily adopting the use of ride hailing apps and in turn this will help to reduce congestion and pollution in the city in the long run.
“Bolt is on a mission to enhance the provision of affordable and safer modes of transportation in the country, and that is why we constantly strive to find operational and technological improvements that make our communities safer. This is evidenced by the work we do while onboarding drivers into our community, and thereafter,” said Bolt’s Uganda Country Operations Manager, Moses Mugerwa.
Aside from that achievement, Bolt expanded their services to Gulu city, allowing them to increase their ridership.
“Last year was challenging but rewarding for us because we were hit by the second wave of Covid, but that hasn’t stopped us from working hard to create earning opportunities for Ugandans on our platform.” We are constantly improving and forging strong alliances to help us realize our vision in the sector. Expect more from us in the coming year,” he added.
