The popularity of the use of ride-hailing apps has seen a rise in the past few years. People sought out new ways to commute in the city, which made it necessary to enter public transportation, forget about the hustle and bustle of it, and have a good and comfortable ride for the user. The advent of Uber, Bolt and a plethora of other ride-hailing apps became the norm across Nigeria.
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We can admittedly say that these ride-hailing apps provide a good main and side hustle for the drivers. If you own a good, well-maintained car with functional air conditioning, why don’t you sign up on the app and begin your journey as a driver? Bolt boasts an N250,000 weekly commission if you decide to become one of their drivers. With the recent inflation in prices, the cost of transportation has doubled; the transport that you could easily enter for N100 can now be going for N300, and it doesn’t look like it will drop anytime soon. So as a pedestrian, why don’t you forgo this situation and stick to entering private rides on these apps?
We know looking at the calculations, entering public transportation might seem like a no-brainer, but don’t you want comfort and ease to your destination? Imagine you are going to a party or a date; would entering public transportation be the best idea?
Bolt and Uber are arguably two of the most popular ride-hailing apps, which are available in a number of states in Nigeria. Although more ride-hailing apps have been introduced in the country, such as Rida and Indriver, Uber and Bolt still remain the most popular, and for this reason, we will be looking at which you should opt for whenever you need to commute easily.
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- Destination Prices
Understandably, there has been an increase in the price of fuel and practically every other commodity in Nigeria, and as such, the prices of both public transportation and Bolt and Uber would be affected. So you shouldn’t expect the same prices that were gotten last year to remain this year; the price would have necessarily increased. One thing we can say is that for both Bolt and Uber, there is the base car and the executive car for each ride to your destination.
The base cars are usually Toyotas and Hondas, while the executive cars could be either Mercedes-Benz or Lexus cars, and this would mean a difference in price for the base and executive cars, with the executive cars being more expensive. So how do we know the destination prices of these ride-hailing apps? How do Uber and Bolt compare when it comes to prices? Which is most affordable?
We have to consider that both apps apply when there is a surge in demand for them. For instance, the price to a particular destination may be higher due to higher demand, while when there is no surge, the price levels. As an audit Bolt and Uber user, you would know that you could set your location manually or use the location of your device.
So we conducted a little experiment to see which was actually more affordable in regard to rides. This should not be taken literally; it is merely for the purpose of understanding and research. We put our pickup location for both Bolt and Uber at Ikeja City Mall and our destination as Filmhouse Cinema IMAX Lekki. The estimated price for Bolt was N5000–6100, while the estimated price for Uber was N4900. We continued further to see the price difference; we put our pickup location for both Bolt and Uber as Filmhouse Cinema IMAX Lekki and put our destination as Shoprite Surulere; the estimated price for Bolt was N3100–3600 while that of Uber was N3,350, these are all situated in Lagos. We can see the price difference isn’t huge, and this experiment was done when there was no surgeon on either app. So, should we have a tie?
- Discounts and promotions
Everyone loves discounts and promotions; getting things cheaper is a lovely position even if the discount is only 5%. When it comes to giving discounts, we have to give this one to Bolt, hands down. Their discounts range from 5% to 50%, and tightening would be getting this discounting up to 5 or 10 rides within a couple of days. We have to say that these discounts are one of the reasons for Bolt’s popularity. The email from Bella from Bolt keeps you aware of these discounts if you aren’t using the app, and most times there are codes that give new riders N1000 off their first ride. When it comes to Uber, discounts aren’t usually common, so Bolt is the clear city winner in this aspect.
- Waiting Time
As a Bolt and Uber user, there are times when the drivers don’t usually know your location, and this might take time for them to reach you or for you to reach them; they might park where you can’t easily find their cars, and this has led to the dreaded waiting time, which is a feature introduced by Bolt. What this means is that you have a free five-minute waiting period in which you have to get to your driver to start the trip, and if the trip hasn’t begun within these five minutes, it starts to count and will be added to your bill after the trip has ended.
This can be an absolute bummer because, like most people, they don’t want to pay for what they want at the time, but one has to consider the driver as well and the time he spent waiting for you. Uher hasn’t yet introduced this feature, so you can take a breather. Is this a deal breaker if you are a bolt user?
- Uber Go
This was a feature introduced by Uber to help people get to their destination but also be frugal while doing so. Uber Go is a feature on the Uber app that allows you to choose a ride at a cheaper cost than the base ride fare. Why is this? Because instead of the usual four-seated Corollas, you get only three-seater Suzukis. But other things, such as air conditioning, would still remain the same, and you would reach your destination but at a cheaper rate. Do we say that Uber wins in this aspect? We think we can all agree that it does.
Uber and bolt which is the best, cheaper
The cost of using Uber or Bolt can vary depending on a number of factors, such as the time of day, distance travelled, and demand for rides in the area. In general, both services aim to provide affordable and convenient transportation options, but which one is cheaper can vary depending on the circumstances. To determine which service is cheaper, it may be worth comparing the prices of both services for a specific trip.
This can be done by opening both apps and entering the same pickup and destination locations. The app will then provide an estimate of the cost of the ride. It is worth noting that both services offer different types of rides, such as UberPool or BoltGo, which may be cheaper than their standard options.
In terms of overall quality and service, both Uber and Bolt are known for their convenience and ease of use. Uber is available in more countries and cities than Bolt and offers a range of options, such as UberX, UberXL, and UberBLACK. Bolt, on the other hand, is known for its competitive pricing and reliable service.
Conclusion
Using Uber and Bolt is the new way to get around, especially if you are tired of public transportation. Are you planning on going into the ride-hailing field? Why don’t you check out Carmart.ng for the best and most affordable cars available?
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