Africa’s leading ride-hailing platform, Bolt, has reinforced its unwavering commitment to safety for both riders and drivers with the successful hosting of the first Bolt Public Safety Summit in Lagos.

The summit, which followed a dedicated safety press briefing earlier, brought together stakeholders from government, law enforcement, civil society, media and the Bolt rider community.

The event highlighted the firm’s ongoing investments in technology, driver education, and platform integrity, while providing a unique platform for open dialogue with riders on safety expectations and shared responsibilities in urban mobility.

During the briefing, it shared recent progress in key safety metrics. The platform recorded a 42 per cent reduction in offline trips in the last three months, indicating greater usage of in-app safety tools.

In addition, there was a 298 per cent increase in the use of the Trusted Contacts feature, which grew from 7,839 users in January to 31,216 in June.
The Pick-Up Code feature also gained traction, with 5,568 riders in Nigeria enabling it.

Speaking at the event, General Manager, Bolt Nigeria, Osi Oguah, said: “At Bolt, safety is not just a feature, it is fundamental to the service we provide. We are consistently investing in tools and partnerships that prioritise the well-being of our users.

“The summit represents a major step forward in how we engage with our riders. It will be a rider-first platform to listen, learn and collaborate on new ways to make our services even safer and more responsive.”

The summit convened a diverse audience, including public safety experts, policymakers and everyday platform users, to co-develop ideas and explore long-term strategies for ride-hailing security and accountability.