Bolt Relaunches in London After Two Years in Exile

Bolt Relaunches in London After Two Years in Exile
Bolt

Uber rival Bolt, formerly known as Taxify, has relaunched in London, nearly two years after its operating license was revoked by the city’s transit authority, according to Bloomberg.

The Estonian company, backed by Daimler and most recently valued at $1 billion, said it would compete in the U.K. capital by offering lower fares for riders, and by taking a smaller cut of driver earnings compared to its rivals.

The re-entry of Bolt marks another ride-hailing app in London’s crowded market. French private-hire limousine operator Chauffeur Prive, now called Kapten, recently launched in the city. Rival Wheely has also relocated its headquarters from Moscow to London.

Bolt CEO Markus Villig said about 20,000 drivers had signed up to work with the company in London so far. All candidates must pass background checks in person at Bolt’s office prior to being permitted to offer rides, he said. "It’ll take a few months to get everyone through the onboarding process but currently hundreds of drivers are joining per day," Villig said in an interview.

Bolt is one of Uber’s biggest competitors in Eastern Europe and Africa, and in March this year said it was preparing to expand into the food-delivery market and utilize its existing network of drivers to do so. Villig said the startup will focus on ride-sharing only in London initially, however. The company held more than a year of negotiations with Transport for London to re-obtain its operating licence after being suspended in September 2017, only a week after starting.

"About two years ago we acquired a local private hire company called City Drive, which had only a few dozen drivers, and we used their license to launch our service," Villig said. "TfL said that wasn’t permitted under its rules, so we then started a full application which is what has now been granted." Bolt said it would launch with a 24-hour support line staffed in London, and an in-app "panic button" for riders and drivers in the event of any safety concerns during a trip.