Bolt South Africa has rolled out a new feature, Flight Tracking for Scheduled Rides, designed to streamline airport pick-ups by allowing users to link their flight information directly in the app when booking a ride.
This update ensures that if a flight is delayed or cancelled, Bolt automatically adjusts the pick-up time or cancels the ride—without any extra charges for the rider.
To use the feature, customers tap the ‘Schedule’ button next to the destination field on the Bolt home screen. After entering the arrival airport and final destination, they can click ‘Add flight details’ to provide the airline, flight number, landing date, or departure city. Customers are also prompted to select how many minutes after landing they prefer to be picked up, giving the app flexibility to update the ride timing based on real-time flight changes.
According to Lerato Motsoeneng, Senior General Manager at Bolt, “Bolt is an official ride-hailing partner at more than 30 airports worldwide, including major South African hubs like OR Tambo International (JNB), Cape Town International (CPT), King Shaka International (DUR), Lanseria International (HLA), and Port Elizabeth Airport (PLZ). This partnership allows passengers to be picked up directly from Arrivals, avoiding the hassle of locating external pick-up points.”
Motsoeneng adds, “With Flight Tracking for Scheduled Rides, our individual and Bolt Business users can rest easy knowing that their rides will automatically adjust to flight delays or cancellations. This leads to less waiting and a more seamless travel experience, regardless of the time of day.”
This feature builds on Bolt’s previous expansion of its ride scheduling window to 90 days, giving users more flexibility when planning trips in advance.
Bolt Business continues to see strong growth in South Africa, offering companies a cost-effective way to manage employee and client transportation. Features like centralised billing, detailed reporting, and now flight tracking enhance its appeal, especially for corporate travel to and from major airports.
The popularity of scheduled rides is on the rise, with Bolt reporting a 275% increase in bookings. As airports remain one of the top destinations for Bolt users, the company is also working to simplify pick-up area navigation and reduce wait times by efficiently matching passengers with drivers already in the airport ride-hailing queue.
