Bolt drivers in Tanzania have protested outside the company’s headquarters, raising concerns about high commissions and lower ride-hailing fees.
The Chanzo was on the scene when drivers gathered outside the office building in Kinondoni, even blocking the nearby Mwai Kibaki Road as they waited for the company’s leadership to address them.
The drivers told The Chanzo that they decided to come to the company’s office after the leadership failed to show up at their meeting at Leaders’ Ground.
“The main issue is the fee and charges, which are about 25%, but they say it’s 24%, even though their contract with LATRA sets the charges at 15%,” Ewald Temba told The Chanzo outside Bolt’s offices.
“The percentage charges are very high, and getting access to Bolt is tough. At the end of the day, with these charges, you end up with nothing. Bolt, please heed our plea,” Moses Gosha told our reporter, as police tried to manage the crowd that had occupied nearly every space outside Bolt’s offices.
READ: What’s Next for Bolt, Uber After Regulatory Struggles in Tanzania?
After about 30 minutes of interaction, the police convinced the crowd to move to an open area at Oysterbay Police Grounds, where Bolt’s leadership could respond to their concerns.
“Bolt is exploiting us in many ways,” one of the drivers told The Chanzo at the police grounds. “First, their deductions – the charges are 24%, and this is hurting us because fuel prices have gone up. Another issue is the disrespect drivers face from passengers, and Bolt doesn’t seem to care. They only care about their interests.”
Bolt Tanzania General Manager, Dimmy Kanyankole, responded to some of the drivers’ concerns, including committing to raise fees to the maximum rates allowed by the Land Transport Regulatory Authority of Tanzania (LATRA) within 24 hours.
“The guidance from LATRA is that the absolute maximum we are allowed to charge a customer is 1,000 shillings, but it can go up to 1,500 shillings. That is the limit. You’ve been asking for 2,000 shillings, and that’s why I said I can make some changes, as they are within my license, but for other matters, I cannot act until LATRA adjusts,” Mr. Kanyankole explained.
Regarding the commission, Mr. Kanyankole clarified that not all of the amount charged goes to Bolt.
“Our commission is divided into two parts: Bolt’s percentage and the mandatory government tax. People tend to combine the two and think it all goes to Bolt. Our percentage is 20%, not 24%, while the government’s is 3.6%. We don’t have the authority to change that. However, for our part, we can do some calculations and make adjustments,” he said.
A representative from LATRA directed Bolt to provide a written explanation addressing some of the issues raised by the drivers. The regulator also called for a stakeholders’ meeting on October 16, 2024.
