How we managed to survive Covid-19 pandemic-Bolt Country Rep

Country Manager for Bolt, Mr Femi Akin-Laguda, says resilience and determination played a key role in their survival during the Covid-19 pandemic to becoming Nigeria’s leading car-hailing service provider.

He stated this in an exclusive chat with the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, (NIPC’s) media team.

Mr Akin-Laguda said that it was difficult for all active staff on board, yet the company ensured that no one’s job was laid-off.

“The advantage of what we did is that when the lockdown ended, and we started recovering, we had all our resources available to be able to kick off right away. And there was a huge recovery for us and our drivers in the months that came after. Within six months after the worst wave of the pandemic, we edged full recovery and by the end of the year surpassed the numbers that we had before the pandemic.”

“So, in the end, it was a good year. It was a tough year, but it was a good year for us, and that was because we were always looking at the situation and looking for ways to improve the value proposition to our customers constantly,” he said.

Mr Akin-Laguda further added that they are currently operating in 25 states in the federation and the FCT 29 cities) with plans to expand further.

“We would love that one day we can be everywhere, but we will let the data decide. The data has to back up our plans and thought processes.

“We have good relations with the Ministry of Transport across the different States. We don’t enter without their permission or approval so there are some states where we haven’t gotten to a point where we can move forward; however, we’re still engaging with them until we get to that point.”

To make it easier for more people to drive and earn on their platform, Bolt recently collaborated with Sterling Bank Alternative Finance to launch a vehicle financing program.

“This is the first of many deals. We have a couple more deals in the pipeline”, said Mr Akin-Laguda.

Bolt also rolled out a ride-hailing insurance program to mitigate risks and improve user experience on their platform that covers all drivers and passengers in all cities.