Bolt Seeks to Address Under-Representation of Women in The Mobility Sector, Pledges €2.5M

Mobility company that offers ride-hailing, micro-mobility rental, food and grocery delivery, and car-sharing services, Bolt has pledged the sum of €2.5m to attract female drivers in Nigeria and other countries.

The company via a statement disclosed that the pledge is part of Bolt’s newly launched campaign called “Women at the Wheel”, which is aimed at raising awareness against some stereotypes held against female drivers in the mobility industry.

Speaking on the campaign, Bolt’s Director of Central Operations for Ride-hailing Venus Lim said,

“Women are under-represented in many parts of society, but in the mobility sector, the inequality is particularly stark. There are many reasons why many women are unlikely to consider becoming a driver and this campaign aims to raise awareness of some of the prejudices held against female drivers and make it easier for women to access flexible, independent work on Bolt and other ride-hailing platforms something which is particularly important now when the cost of living is going up for everyone”.

Also speaking on the ‘Women on the Wheel Campaign’, is Yahaya Mohammed, Country Manager for Bolt Nigeria, who commended the company for offering opportunities to empower women in the ride-hailing industry.

In his words, “As a business, we value all our drivers and recognize that they play an integral role in the continued growth of our brand, and we do not take their commitment and efforts for granted. Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls (UN SDG 5) is a key pillar of our work.

“We at Bolt believe that we have an opportunity to contribute to bridging the gender gap by allowing women to be self-employed in the digital e-hailing space. Through the Women at the Wheel campaign, we endeavor to continue offering more women in Nigeria, viable economic opportunities to empower them, whilst also advancing the growth of the industry in the market”.

He further added that the company remains committed to also ensuring the safety of women both as drivers and riders on its platform, which is why they are constantly reviewing and innovating more safety features, to ensure quality measures are in place to deliver the right experience.

Investors King understands that the ‘Women at the Wheel’ campaign is running in Nigeria, and across several European countries which include; Poland, Latvia, Portugal, Azerbaijan, Romania, Czech Republic, Croatia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Estonia.

It is understood that female riders are up to four times safer than their male counterparts, yet only a very small percentage of drivers in the mobility industry are women. With Bolt’s ‘Women at the Wheel’ campaign, hopefully, the underrepresentation of women in the mobility sector will be bridged.