THIS SERVICE IS DANGEROUS

Okay so this one was a while ago, but I'm busy cleaning out my inbox and I just came across the incident report I logged at the time:

This is the email I wrote to my account manager at the time as I was using 'Bolt for Business'

Essentially nothing was done, they said they would give the driver a warning (whatever that means) and that they would refund my trip (as though the R35 for my incomplete trip was the concern) - all of my questions about safety were ignored and I was passed around between different people in customer service, with the last email I received being 'please log a complaint through your app'

Dear X

I hope you're doing well.

I'd just like to report an incident I had with a Bolt ride last night on my way back from a function with a client.

I ordered the ride from Mojo Market, firstly I was a little disappointed with how long the wait was (about 15 minutes,) but this is somewhat understandable for a Friday evening. The drivers first words to me when I got into the car were 'where the hell where you' because he had waited a couple of minutes for me to find him. Being night time in town, of course I am going to make sure that I have found the correct car before crossing the road and leaving the safety of the venue's security. So I did not appreciate this attitude.

During the trip, the drivers car came to a stop, he then told me 'sorry this is my fault, I've run out of petrol' I understand that things like this can happen, however for a lifting service, I don't feel that it is acceptable for a driver to run out of petrol. When the sole purpose of the service is to get a client from one place to the next, running out of petrol during the trip is simply unacceptable.

The driver then said that he would arrange for another bolt driver to pick me up and complete the trip. This to me is the only acceptable solution. Another car arrived eventually, I got out of the car with the driver who proceeded to open the boot and remove an empty jerry can. We then crossed the road to the car that had arrived.

Before getting into the car I asked the driver if he was a bolt driver, I could see on his phone that he had Google Maps open, which was not a good sign to me. My original driver interrupted and told me that he had ordered an Uber to take us to the petrol station so he could full up the jerry can.

This was not what he had initially told me, and until this point he had not informed me that the original plan had changed.

I told him that I was not comfortable switching over to an 'Uber' because the service I am using is Bolt, I expect that my trip is completed by another Bolt driver.

He then tried to convince me that I should get in the car with them because this is the plan that he has made considering what had happened.

At this point, I am now nervous standing on the side of a road in an area I don't know, with no buildings in site. I refused to get in the car. He asked me what I was planning to do, and I told him that I would make my own plan to get to my destination.

Being to nervous to stand in the side of the road with these two men who I had no reason to trust, I decided to walk to try and find a safe place to wait while I ordered a new trip.

Luckily a car of students saw me walking and pulled over to check if I was okay, they offered me a lift home which I accepted.

I'm sorry for the long winded email, and I know this is not your fault, but I feel it is important that incidents like this be reported.

I still do not believe that a driver running out of petrol is acceptable by any stretch of the imagination, however I do know that cars can break down and often it is out of the drivers control.

So what I'd like to find out is if there is a contingency in place for when things like this happen?

The best solution in my mind is that the trip should be transferred to another Bolt driver, this should be indicated on the users app. The fact that my trip was ended with no guarantee of another driver coming does not seem safe.

Please could you let me know who is the correct person to speak to regarding this incident. At the very least I do expect that my trip is credited against my account. However I would also like to be assured that some form of action will be taken to ensure the safety of myself and other users should similar situations occur in the future.

Please see the screenshots of my trip details attached.