Bolt blocks Nigerian, South African users involved in fake ride request trend

Bolt, the e-hailing transport company, says it has blocked an undisclosed number of accounts requesting fake rides and canceling them.

The ride-hailing company announced the measure on Thursday in response to the digital war involving some Nigerian and South African users of its app.

Bolt also restricted intercountry ride requests to reduce the trend which has left many of its other users stranded due to unavailable rides.

“Bolt is aware of the recent fake ride requests between individuals in Nigeria and South Africa. We’ve swiftly implemented measures to resolve the issue and have restricted inter-country ride requests,” it wrote on X.

Bolt is aware of the recent fake ride requests between individuals in Nigeria and South Africa. We’ve swiftly implemented measures to resolve the issue and have restricted inter-country ride requests.

— Bolt (@boltapp) August 22, 2024

The online battle began after some South African Bolt and Uber customers gloated over booking fake rides in Nigeria.

The trend targets Nigerian e-hailing drivers, sending them on false errands to particular pick-up locations only to cancel the rides when the driver arrives.

The South African users also shared videos mocking the drivers who fell victim to such schemes.

The online clash escalated after several Nigerians started to retaliate; wasting drivers’ time and causing them to lose money in real time.

Also reacting, Yahaya Muhammed, the country manager of Bolt Nigeria, said the transport company has “blocked all intercountry ride requests” to stop the ongoing schemes.

“We understand the impact this situation has had on our driver-partners in Nigeria and South Africa. We are committed to ensuring a safe, reliable, and secure experience for all members of our community,” he said.

Uber has yet to comment on the trend — as of the time of this report.

The online war is not unconnected to the recent controversy surrounding Chidimma Adetshina, the Nigerian-South African model, who withdrew from the Miss SA beauty pageant over apparent xenophobic attacks.