Murdered Bolt driver was a kind and bubbly law student Image via Instagram: @Bolt_SA
Murdered Bolt driver was a kind and bubbly law student Image via Instagram: @Bolt_SA
The e-hailing service Bolt has confirmed that they have suspended a driver accused of trying to kidnap two female passengers last week. The pair, both in their twenties, hail from the Cape Town suburb of Bishop Lavis, and were heading towards Elsies River at the time.
Cape Town Bolt ‘kidnapping incident’ revealed
However, one of the friends grew suspicious when the taxi deviated on a route she didn’t recognise. The second passenger was also spooked by the driver, who allegedly did not have the Bolt app open – nor was he following guidance from GPS.
The driver also missed a very obvious turn, and after trying to tell his passengers that he was merely ‘searching for a garage’, they knew it was time to plan an escape – by any means necessary.
The eerie journey forced the two into a very difficult decision. Fearing for their lives, they jumped out of the Bolt vehicle while it was still moving – and at some speed, too. Between them, the women suffered fractures to the pelvis, skull, and legs – and even reported having seizures.
Bolt respond to kidnapping allegations
After a prolonged silence from Bolt, the company did respond to a complaint on social media about the matter this morning.
@missdean_sa Hello! We take issues like this very seriously and would like to address this. We are unable to request personal data via social media. Please ask the victim to contact us through the Support section in Bolt app. Our safety team will be waiting for their message.
— Bolt South Africa (@Boltapp_za) June 1, 2022
Cape Town taxi passengers leap to safety
Shortly afterwards, Bolt released a follow-up statement, confirming that they have temporarily banned the driver from their app. An internal investigation is now being carried out, as the women continue their recoveries from such a traumatic ordeal.
“Bolt has not received any reports through the app or by email about two women who jumped from a moving vehicle in Elsies River. However, as a precautionary measure, Bolt has suspended the driver that they implicated in the incident, pending further investigation.”
“When a serious allegation is made against a driver, such as physical assault, Bolt immediately blocks the driver’s account from the platform we implore individuals to report such cases directly to us via app messaging or email.”
Bolt statement
