The e-hailing company, Bolt, has re-opened a walk-in driver engagement centre.
The aim is to enhance its driver relations and address driver concerns.
The centre which is located in Randburg, Johannesburg, had been closed due to COVID-19.
Bolt’s Regional Manager for East and Southern Africa, Takura Malaba, says they want to address drivers’ challenges.
He says lost items will also be found at the customer centre.
“We have also opened up a lost and found centre. So, if customers have lost items in vehicles they can go to the centre to pick them up. What we have found in the past is that drivers and riders prefer a central location where they feel comfortable to go and pick up an item or drop off an item,” adds Malaba.
Malaba says the Bajaj is not competing with any form of transport.
He says the purpose of centre includes supporting drivers.
Malaba addressed concerns about the inclusion of the Bajaj among their vehicles.
“Unfortunately, we have had instances of violence and I think most if it really born from the misunderstanding of the category. This a local category in our solution and what we are finding is that it [is] an avenue for extra earning a bit [of] opportunities for drivers.”
“And from the rider perspectives, we finding that it is design for example, the average trip distance is around two to three kilometers and for average of general e-hailing driver actually drive an average distance much longer than that.”
Below is the full interview with Takura Malaba:
