Bolt has rolled out a new safety feature, Trusted Contacts, allowing passengers and drivers to add family members or friends as emergency contacts who can be reached if the account holder is unresponsive.

This initiative is part of Bolt’s ongoing investment in upgrading safety features on its platform.

The feature ensures that Bolt’s Safety Team can escalate Ride Check alerts, Emergency Assist requests, or any other critical safety incidents if they cannot get hold of the user.

It joins a growing list of in-app safety tools, including Ride Check, which detects unusual trip activity, Share Location for real-time tracking with loved ones, and Emergency Assist for discreetly alerting emergency services or private security partners.

According to Dimmy Kanyankole, General Manager of Bolt Kenya and Tanzania, the new feature builds on existing safety measures to enhance user protection. 

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"With Trusted Contacts, we aim to build on our existing efforts by ensuring we can quickly escalate a Ride Check notification or Emergency Assist request to a friend or family member if we can’t get a hold of the Bolt account holder, themselves," Kanyankole stated.

"It’s part of our ongoing investment in safety through new products, features, and our dedicated in-house specially trained safety team, to ensure that we can continue to improve the safety ecosystem of the Bolt app, offering drivers and riders a high-quality ride-hailing experience."

The feature is part of Bolt’s Sh14 billion investment in safety improvements over three years.

By allowing riders and drivers to link their loved ones to their accounts, Bolt aims to strengthen security measures and provide reassurance to users throughout their journey.