- A strike by some Bolt drivers is continuing.
- The strikes comes in response to the company's introduction of its Bolt Go product, with fares that are 20% cheaper than standard rates.
- Some drivers took part in a protest at the company’s Bryanston offices.
- Gareth Taylor, country manager for Bolt in South Africa, told Business Insider that only “a small number of drivers chose to stay offline”.
- For more stories visit Business Insider South Africa.
A strike by some South African drivers of the Bolt e-hailing service continued on Tuesday.
There has been discontent among Bolt drivers since July, when the company first introduced its Bolt Go product, with fares that are 20% cheaper than standard rates. Drivers protested against the product, and launched a strike in response at the time.
The drivers started striking again on Monday, and some took part in a protest at the company’s Bryanston offices.
EWN reports that after managers refused to come out to accept the driver’s memorandum, drivers blocked the main entrance of the offices. Police were deployed, and forced them to leave.
Gareth Taylor, country manager for Bolt in South Africa, told Business Insider that "a small number of drivers chose to stay offline" on Tuesday.
“This has not impacted riders’ ability to hail a ride through the platform, as there are enough drivers who have chosen to stay online to meet demand.” Bolt operates in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Polokwane, Cape Town, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Port Elizabeth, Knysna, Mossel Bay, George and Plettenberg Bay.
A representative of Uber says that its services remain unaffected.
Earlier this year, the Competition Commission issued a scathing report about the practices of e-hailing services in South Africa, claiming that some of their drivers are earning below minimum wage.
In addition, the Commission noted that the corporate tax paid by Uber and Bolt appears to be "disproportionately low" compared to the revenue they generated in South Africa.
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