Imagine this – extra money in your bank account without taking up a part-time job with a strict schedule. Topping up your earnings as your own boss, fully in charge of all of the decisions you make. Sounds nice, right? Well, why not try driving with Bolt, then? 

Perhaps it’s because you’ve stumbled on some story that stopped you from taking the plunge so far. Was it something you heard from a friend of a friend? Or something you saw online? Well, we all know that not everything you hear or read is true — especially these days.

This article debunks some of the most popular myths about being a Bolt driver that have been known to fly around. So, after reading this, it’s time to drop that idea of a part-time job and get behind the wheel!

Myth #1: drivers get paid less due to passenger discounts

Let’s assume that your passenger has a promo code for a discount worth R 30 and the trip cost is R60.  You do your job 100%, but does this mean that you only get paid half? 

No, no, no! 

You, as a driver, will be covered for the whole cost (minus our 15% commission fee) – R30 will come from the passenger’s pockets and the other R30 (the value of the promo code) will be covered by Bolt.

So, time to finally put this myth to rest for good!

Either you’re a full-timer or in it as a side business, you’ll receive all of the money you’re entitled to on a weekly basis.

Myth #2: referral bonuses don’t work

So, you referred a friend to become a Bolt driver but you haven’t received your referral bonus. What happened?

Well, the real question is — did your friend actually sign up?

Referral bonuses are a well-oiled machine, but before any money can hit your account, the friend you referred has to go through some steps and get officially signed up. Specifically, they need to:

• Visit partners.bolt.eu; 
  
• Enter their email address, mobile number and city;
• Enter the referral code in Step 2;
• Complete the sign-up successfully.

After they do that, you’ll get your share. The bonuses are paid the week after all conditions are met and you’ll receive your bonus along with your weekly pay.

Myth #3: driver accounts get blocked for no reason

If you’ve found your way to a blocked account, then there’s a reason behind it. Bolt doesn’t block drivers “just because”. 

To ensure a top-notch service at all times, a driver’s account may be blocked for good or temporarily due to any of the following:

• Having a low rating score;
  
• Having a low activity score;
  
• Adding false information to the driver profile;
• Incorrect pricing;
• Irregular/suspicious activities;
• Being online for more than 12 hours;
• Having expired documents;
• Scheming with driver bonuses to make more money dishonestly;
• Any form of misconduct.

A low rating score or being online for 12+ hours can cause drivers to get blocked automatically. This cannot be undone until the block period is over or after a one-on-one chat with a member of Bolt’s Customer Support team.

Hopefully, you’ll agree that those are all pretty fair reasons to block a driver — we don’t just do it at random!

If you get temporarily blocked for some other reason, your account will be reactivated after you meet the set requirements as a driver.

Myth #4: dynamic pricing (surge) happens when Bolt decides so

Supply and demand. This is something everyone remembers from their mathematics or economics classes from school. That’s how it works in Bolt as well.

When there’s a high demand for rides and a low supply of drivers, dynamic pricing is automatically turned on. 

Extreme weather conditions, peak-hours and large-scale events can increase the number of ride requests. The higher the demand and the lower the supply, the higher the surge.

Dynamic pricing ensures that there are drivers available at all times. It gives the ones driving on a daily basis the opportunity to earn some extra money, and gives those switching the idea of a part-time job for driving with Bolt, yet another awesome reason to go online and get out there!

Myth #5: there’s no way to get in touch with Bolt’s support team

To be honest, getting in touch with Bolt’s support team is one of the easiest things to do, like ever! All you need to do is open your Driver app and tap with your finger a few times.

So, no matter the topic, you can either:

• Go to Trips in the Menu bar;
• Select the trip you wish to send a message about;
• Select the most appropriate article from the ‘Need help?’ section;
• Below the article, there’s an option to send a message.

Or:

• Go to ‘News’ in the Menu Bar;
• Below the news section, you’ll see the Support Articles;
• Click on the article that relates to your issue;
• Send us a message.

But what to do if there’s an emergency? Well, in that case:

• Press and hold the SOS button for 3 seconds;
• Select the ‘Yes’ button to confirm your emergency;
• You get an option to place a call to the local emergency services;
• A distress signal will automatically be sent to Bolt.

Myth #6: Part-time Bolt driver earnings aren’t good

The average weekly earnings of a full-time Bolt driver are R 7 000. From that, Bolt charges a 20% commission. And then there’s the fact that there’s no set schedule and no-one but yourself to report to. You are your own boss. Is that the case with the part-time job you found?

Added to that, there are also campaigns and bonuses that can boost driver earnings. Sounds awesome, right?

Also, experienced Bolt drivers have said that short talks with new people can even be therapeutic in their own way. You meet a stranger, exchange your ideas and why not even find someone you share your beliefs with through such a random encounter. If that’s not a benefit, then we’re not sure what is.

By the way, if you feel like you don’t know how to start the conversation, here are 101 topics to get the words flowing!

Myth #7: riders can do whatever they like and won’t get blocked

When you reach your rider’s set destination and end the journey, you’ll have an option to rate them. Don’t forget to do that! Rider ratings matter just as much as driver ratings.

Besides from a below-par rating, there are several reasons why riders might get blocked out of Bolt. For example, they might have issues with pending payments, using cards that have been reported as stolen or lost or using false or incorrect email addresses.

So, there you have it. We hope we were able to prove to you that not all of the myths about driving are true. In fact, most of the time, they’re the exact opposite!

if you’d like to make extra money, be your own boss and set your own schedule, sign up to become a Bolt driver today. It all starts with filling in this form.