As the uncertainty of the shutdown increases, Bolt has recently announced that it will be joining Gokada’s GoChop, Jumia Food and OyaNow with the launch of its own food delivery feature, Bolt Food. The service will allow users to order from partner restaurants using the app while promising food businesses in more visibility and a vast distribution network to its 1 million users.
In March, the Nigerian government began clamping down on ride-hailing services in major hotspots. This prompted Bolt, Uber and other mobility players to halt operations temporarily while some moved to other verticals. A few days after, Bolt Nigeria revealed that it launched Bolt Business Delivery solution in Lagos and Abuja to cater to small business and other essential services.
It’s no surprise that Bolt is opting to go this route during the pandemic, what is astounding is that the company launched this service before their biggest rival, Uber, which already runs UberEats in major countries across the world including South Africa and Kenya. However, Bolt Food isn’t particularly new, the company says it has been beta testing for over eight months and hopes the roll out the final product in Lagos and Abuja soon.
