E-hailing platform Bolt has added an electric vehicle (EV) category to its Johannesburg services through collaboration with the South African Meter Taxi and E-Hailing Association (Samtea), EV manufacturer BYD and other industry stakeholders supporting the rollout.

The practical collaboration between the e-hailing and taxi sectors demonstrates how industry stakeholders can work together to create a more inclusive, integrated and future-ready mobility ecosystem, Bolt says.

“Johannesburg’s mobility future will be built through collaboration. This launch demonstrates what is possible when the e-hailing and taxi sectors come together around a shared goal: creating transport solutions that are cleaner, more efficient and more inclusive,” says Bolt South Africa GM Graham Walker.

“Electric mobility presents an important opportunity for South Africa. It can help reduce operating and maintenance costs for driver-partners and fleet operators, while contributing to cleaner urban transport. Our focus is on making that opportunity practical and scalable through strong partnerships,” he says.

The sector must evolve to meet the needs of a changing transport landscape while preserving the foundations on which it was built, says Samtea chairperson Sibongiseni Shange.

“We must move with the times and evolve, which means building something stronger for the next generation. Metered taxis and e-hailing were viewed as competitors, particularly as the market was disrupted and different parts of the sector responded in different ways.

“However, through continued engagement, we have begun to find one another and recognise that many of the challenges facing the industry affect all of us, including our drivers,” he says.

Samtea is an affiliate of industry association the South African National Taxi Council.

“For the sector to be more sustainable and offer stronger protections, operators need to be part of a formalised industry. Collaboration is essential to create a transport ecosystem that protects drivers and passengers, supports business and creates opportunity,” he says.

By combining EV technology with industry collaboration, Bolt and its partners aim to help build the ecosystem needed for scalable EV adoption, the company says.

The initiative is designed to support driver-partners, fleet operators and passengers while advancing a transport sector in which different mobility services can coexist and contribute to South Africa’s economic and environmental priorities.

Further, the Johannesburg launch builds on Bolt’s EV category debut in Cape Town earlier this year and forms part of the company’s broader ambition to scale electric mobility in South Africa.

Bolt is targeting a fleet of 500 EVs in the country by December, thereby supporting a transition towards cleaner, more efficient urban transport.

The Johannesburg expansion also strengthens Bolt’s growing global and African EV footprint. Bolt operates electric ride categories in more than 70 cities worldwide and has introduced electric-mobility initiatives in Kenya and Nigeria, alongside its South African rollout.

South Africa remains one of Bolt’s most important markets globally.

The EV service expansion follows the company’s ten-year anniversary in the country and its announcement of a R3-billion economic contribution, which reflects Bolt’s continued investment in mobility solutions that support economic participation and more sustainable cities, the company says.