Bolt have now added the riders destination in an attempt to meet their drivers demands and to stay inline with the advancements Uber are introducing to the market
In 2019 uber introduced the rider destination feature which allowed drivers to see where the rider was going.
This meant that drivers could now see the beginning part of the postcode which gave us the opportunity to decide if we wanted to accept the trip or not.
I started driving for Uber a few weeks before this was introduced, so I got to experience what it was like driving for Uber blind. What I would commonly find was that I would regularly end up on the opposite side of London late at night when I was tired and ready to end my shift. This would result in me driving 30 miles on the m25 heading home without a passenger, burning petrol and fighting to stay awake.
What is The Benefit Of Riders Destination?
With the introduction of the destination feature, drivers could now pick and choose which rides to accept, which meant less dead miles, fewer hours wasted without a passenger and more control over my working day. Overall it made for a much better experience driving for Uber which got the thumbs up from me and the many thousands of fellow Uber drivers.
In mid 2019 after a few failed attempts and rebranding, we saw Bolt enter the market with the promise that drivers would earn more driving for them as they were only charging drivers 15% commission over Uber’s 25%.
And they were correct. When I started driving for Bolt, I immediately saw that I was earning quite a bit more on each ride compared to what I would have earned with uber.
Having a second rideshare app running alongside Uber has been profitable and has opened up more opportunities I would have missed out on if I blindly stayed loyal to uber.
Was Bolt Showing Riders Destination?
The problem though from day one was the fact that bolt where not showing the rider destination, which meant that driving for bolt compared to uber felt a bit antiquated. This was a major problem for all bolt drivers as we had all gotten used to the new way of working with Uber.
I mean who would be happy going from a 4K oled tv watching Netflix and choosing what they watch and when they watch it, to a 14” black and white TV with one channel?
I rest my case…
Unfortunately this resulted in many drivers being deactivated from the Bolt platform because of low acceptance rates mainly due to cancelling trips they did not want to take.
I appreciate that from a customer experience point of view it did not look good on Bolt but they should have had the foresight to realise that if they were serious about competing with uber they too had to show the riders destinations to keep drivers on there platform instead of the competitions.
Why Have Bolt Decided to Add Riders Destination?
After thousands of complaints from drivers, Bolt have stood up and taken note and released a statement yesterday confirming that in the coming weeks, drivers will be able to see where the riders is going.
This is my opinion is a game changer not only for drivers but for Bolt as well.
I personally would only use bolt early in the morning when the roads where empty and I didn’t have to worry about the congestion charge or at the start of my shift when I didn’t mind where I was going. Now I will be able to have Bolt competing with the Uber app all day which means more work for me but also more business for Bolt making it a win win situation.
Do Bolt Show The Complete Destination?(Updated)
The Bolt destination feature has now gone live, and although its not quite as expected, it has still had a positive response.
Uber show the first part of the postcode which of course is not pinpoint accurate but gives a great indication of where the rider is heading.
Bolt in their attempt to not copy Uber and wanting to do something different are showing the Borough instead. The problems is that boroughs are massive areas and can span many miles, so that information alone is a bit vague.
It’s not perfect, but its a move in the right direction and still helpful in helping you decide if you want to accept the trip going in that direction or not.
Have You Signed Up to Bolt?
If your an Uber driver who is yet to sign up to Bolt,then now is the time to jump onboard. Running 2 apps simultaneously will reduce your waiting time without a job which will result in more money for you and less commission taken every time you take a bolt job.
Signing up is all done on the Bolt app which is super convenient and if you use our appdriver referral code EVANGELOSD11 you will also receive £50 after you complete only 10 trips.
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