Bolt Launches in New Zealand

European ride-hailing platform, Bolt, has officially launched in Auckland, promising a better deal for both drivers and customers, and to challenge the status quo that’s long dominated New Zealand’s market. 

Operating in over 600 cities across 50 countries, Bolt’s expansion into New Zealand marks a significant step in its mission to reshape urban mobility globally. 

Adam Muirson, Bolt New Zealand General Manager says the New Zealand’s ride-hailing market has had limited options for too long. “Bolt introduces real competition and a smarter alternative to owning a car to help Kiwis move around cities more affordably, efficiently and with greater choice.”

Bolt puts drivers at the centre of its model, offering flexible schedules, 24/7 local support and a competitive commission structure to boost earnings. In turn, customers benefit from lower prices and better service. 

Bolt’s launch comes as more New Zealanders reconsider the need to own a car. Despite having the highest private car ownership rate in the world, rising parking costs, growing congestion, and environmental concerns are prompting a shift. 

In Auckland, flexible transport options like Bolt are becoming increasingly relevant for everyday city living. This is especially true as more young people delay or forgo getting a driver’s licence altogether, choosing convenience and shared mobility over car ownership.

As part of its global mission, Bolt aims to help build cities for people, not cars. For decades, cities have been built for cars, not people, leading to unsustainable traffic, pollution and creating more parking spaces instead of parks. Ride-hailing provides a convenient and accessible way to move around a city, suitable for a variety of journey distances and needs. 

The Bolt app was built with rider and driver safety as a top priority, and with a dedicated in-house safety team. 

In addition to standard safety measures like rider and driver profile photos, driver background checks, 24/7 customer support and real-time ride tracking, Bolt will equip users with an extensive suite of safety features, including:

• Share location: Allows drivers and riders to share a real-time trip link via email, SMS, WhatsApp or Telegram, enabling others to track the ride live.
• Rider/driver unmatching: If a rider rates a trip with one star, it automatically unmatches the rider from a driver for future requests.
• Trusted contacts: This feature allows riders and drivers to add names and phone numbers of friends or relatives to a list of contacts for their account, and the safety team will be able to get in touch with them if the account holder can’t be reached.

The app is available for download now.