Bolt enters the Zurich ride-hailing market, promising affordable rates and better earnings for licensed drivers, challenging established competitors like Uber.

The Estonian company Bolt is launching a ride-hailing service in Zurich to compete with cabs and Uber. Users can benefit from attractive prices, Bolt promised in a press release on Tuesday.

The drivers who can be booked on the Bolt platform are independent and not employed by the company: Bolt acts as an intermediary between drivers and passengers, according to the press release. In accordance with the legal situation in Zurich, only licensed cab and limousine drivers are permitted.

At the launch of the service on Tuesday, around 400 to 600 drivers are already on the grid, as Bolt country manager Patrick Frei told AWP.

For passengers, the Bolt service is around 5% cheaper than journeys with the competition, explained Frei. For their part, drivers have to pay the platform a commission of 20%, which is lower than the usual 25% charged by the competition.

In Switzerland, Bolt is already represented in Zurich and Basel with its rental e-scooters and rental e-bikes. The aim is to offer the ride-hailing service in other Swiss cities at a later date, said Frei.

According to the Tallinn-based company, it is represented in 45 countries and over 400 cities in Europe and Africa. According to the company, it wants to accelerate the transition from private cars to shared mobility. In addition to driving services and e-scooters, the company’s international services also include car sharing as well as food and grocery deliveries.

©Keystone/SDA