The ride-hailing platform Bolt now has 100,000 drivers and 9 million passengers signed up in the 19 cities it operates in across the UK. In order to keep up with this demand, the company has moved its driver hub in the capital to a city centre location.
The landmark figures and relocation come as the Estonian brand announces it has surpassed 150 million customers in over 45 countries and 500 cities. Furthermore, there are now over 3.5 million partners (drivers and couriers) using the app to earn a living, including over 1 million in Africa alone.
The new driver hub is in Bermondsey, just minutes from Borough Underground station and London Bridge national rail station. The firm previously operated a driver hub in Chiswick, west London, but moved to a more central location to keep up with passenger and driver demand, and follow feedback from drivers.
Founded in 2013, Bolt’s services in London continue to grow in popularity after it launched a dedicated Black Cab category in April, whilst research from the Tallinn-headquartered establishment discovered that a staggering 1 in 2 Londoners find the prospect of driving their own private car in the city centre causes them anxiety.
Debbie Meijer, Senior Operations Manager for Bolt in London, said: “Bolt’s offering and popularity with drivers and passengers continues to grow from strength-to-strength not only on a global level but also here in London and the UK. Our job is to make everyone’s journey with Bolt as convenient and seamless as possible. As a result, having a place right in the city centre where prospective and current drivers can easily check in made complete sense. We’re looking forward to welcoming them at our new hub.”
Research from Bolt also revealed that more than 1 in 4 (26%) of Londoners say they’re negatively impacted by the amount of street space private cars take up. As a result, the company included London in an online photography gallery it built that showcases how European cities continue to be transformed into safer, greener and more liveable places. The project is dubbed ‘Make Cities for People’.
The developments come hot on the heels of Mikko Salovaara being named CFO as the company expects to reach company wide profitability on a full net income basis over the next 12 months and to be ready to go public in 2025. Mikko will be based in London.
