Trouble for taxi-hailing company Bolt as NTSA rejects license renewal

In a letter to Bolt's country manager Linda Ndung'u, NTSA Deputy Director Cosmas Ngeso stated that the license will not be renewed unless the breaches are addressed.

Bolt had written to Kenya's transport regulator, requesting a new license because their current one is about to expire after only 17 days, having been issued on October 28, 2022.

The NTSA accuses Bolt of violating the Transportation Network Companies (TNC) Owners, Drivers, and Passengers Regulations, 2022.

NTSA also claims that Bolt has been deducting other fees from their customers in addition to the commission, which is prohibited on all taxi-hailing apps.

"Please note that the Authority is not able to proceed with renewal of your operator license until when the issues raised by drivers and their representatives are satisfactorily addressed and rectified," said Mr. Ngeso as quoted by Business Daily.

"In light of these, we urgently request you to provide us with a concrete plan of action outlining steps your company intends to take to rectify this situation."

In response to the allegations, Ms. Ndung'u stated that Bolt charges their passengers a "booking fee," which aids in providing efficiency support.

"Bolt charges a fixed percentage booking fee that is paid by the passenger. The booking fee assists with covering support and enhanced technological features that ensures an even more efficient service on our platform," he said.

Bolt currently offers services in 16 towns after opening for business in Kenya in 2016. Bolt is operational in five other countries besides Kenya, which are Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, and Tunisia.