Explainer: Why ride-hailing service Bolt rush to suspend user accounts in South Africa, Nigeria

Top online ride-hailing app, Bolt, has restricted “inter-country” requests between Nigeria and South Africa as tit-for-tat social media war between citizens of the two countries hit the highest level in recent days.

What went wrong?

Rivalries between netizens from the two African countries became heated as some people shared how they had been booking and then cancelling rides in the other nation to prank drivers, waste their time and fuel.

A Zimbabwean Bolt driver based in Cape Town revealed to the BBC that he fell victim to a scam, receiving multiple fake ride requests that resulted in wasted fuel and time.

The brawl is a result of accumulated feuds between Nigerians and South Africans which started with the Africa Cup of Nations fallout as the Super Eagles dumped out the Bafana Bafana on their way to the final against hosts, Ivory Coast.

The latest point of contention between the two African powerhouses was the Miss South Africa scandal, where a half-Nigerian contestant was forced to withdraw due to xenophobic harassment. Additionally, the nations have engaged in a battle of the popstars, with South Africa’s Tyla going head-to-head against Nigeria’s Arya Starr.

What is Bolt saying?

Bolt has taken swift action, identifying and blocking the users responsible for this malicious activity. It added that it had taken swift measures to resolve the issue of fake ride requests affecting driver-partners, especially those operating in Nigeria and South Africa.

While appreciating drivers affected for maintaining patience, Bolt assured that the safety of its platform, both for driver-partners and riders, remains the utmost priority.

The company said: “Bolt is aware of the fake ride request incident between some individuals in Nigeria and South Africa.

“We have successfully taken measures to resolve the issue of fake ride requests affecting our driver-partners, particularly those operating in Nigeria and South Africa. The integrity and safety of our platform, both for driver-partners and riders, is our utmost priority.

“Following a thorough investigation and the implementation of enhanced security measures, we have addressed this issue swiftly by restricting inter-country ride requests. Additionally, those responsible for this malicious activity have been identified and held accountable by blocking them from the Bolt app.”

“We understand the impact this situation has had on our driver-partners in Nigeria and South Africa. We are committed to ensuring a safe, reliable, and secure experience for all members of our community.

“We thank our driver-partners for their patience and professionalism during this time and remain dedicated to supporting them in every possible way,” it concluded.

What are the affected Nigeran Bolt drivers saying?

Many drivers affected by the social media wrangling are far from the online tit-for-tat face-offs that started on X.

A driver in the northern Kano State disclosed that he received an order for an airport trip from an international number but the person failed to show up.

“I tried calling and calling but they didn’t answer. Then they cancelled the trip,” he told the BBC.

On Facebook, a Bolt driver Abraham Obakoro, appealed for calm while urging his colleagues not to join the time and money-wasting prank.

He said: “I don’t really find all this funny at all. As a driver, I know how I felt after driving 10mins to pick up location and the ride was cancelled not to talk of over an hour.”

He added, “The South Africans perpetrating this evil are not their drivers but others who are in their various homes having nothing meaningful to do with their time forgetting that their husbands, uncle’s, brothers, boyfriends might be the victim. If there’s any driver here contributing to this chain of evil, then such a fellow hasn’t learnt any valuable lesson from this job. Please, let’s not join in this menace.”

Ayo Smith also echoed a similar opinion. He said: “How do you feel, doing this to a man struggling to feed his family? Do we even have conscience in this world. This is not funny. It’s pure wickedness,” he concluded.