Bolt electric taxi cabs launched in South Africa
The South African arm of Estonian ride-hailing giant Bolt announced on Monday the launch of an electric vehicle (EV) category for the local market.
It followed a partnership with YugoRide to deploy a fleet of 500 EVs in Cape Town by December 2025, with a broader expansion to Johannesburg planned soon after.
By comparison, Bolt South Africa’s major rival, Uber, launched its EV category, Uber Go Electric, in South Africa in November 2025, initially with only 70 vehicles.
By January 2026, Uber had expanded its vehicle fleet in its EV category to 280, which is still shy of Bolt’s 500 EV promise by the end of the year.
The launch is Bolt’s first official foray into EVs in South Africa. It features the electric vehicle category in more than 70 cities worldwide, including in Nigeria and Kenya.
Caroline Wanjihia, Regional Director, Rides Africa & International Markets at Bolt, said that South Africa was one of the company’s most important global markets.
“The launch of our EV category reflects our long-term confidence in the country’s mobility future,” she said.
“We believe electric mobility presents an important opportunity not only from a sustainability perspective, but also from an economic one.”
Wanjihia said that the new category presents a good option for drivers to lower their operational costs and potentially create more sustainable earnings opportunities.
“Following our EV initiatives in Kenya and Nigeria, South Africa represents an important next chapter in Bolt’s broader African EV strategy,” she said.
Bolt established a strategic fleet partnership with ride-sharing platform YugoRide to roll out the first of its EVs in Cape Town.
William Huang, co-founder of YugoRide, said it was aiding Bolt with more than vehicles, helping build its EV infrastructure and operational support “from the ground up.”
“We recognised that if South Africa’s transition to electric mobility was going to succeed, it required more than just vehicles,” he said.
The YugoRide fleet partnership introduced a structured EV fleet model in Bolt South Africa, which is focused on operational quality, driver support and safe ride-hailing experiences.
Bolt launches EV category for riders and drivers in Cape Town
Bolt representatives told MyBroadband that the EV category is now live for users of the Bolt app in Cape Town, allowing riders to begin requesting rides with electric vehicles.
Availability is expected to increase over time, as more EVs are onboarded onto the platform and join the category. Bolt said that the rollout will happen in phases as the fleet scales operationally.
According to Roberto Quintas, MMC for Urban Mobility at the City of Cape Town, Bolt’s new EVs further the city’s goals of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
“Bolt has demonstrated a holistic commitment to improving mobility, from driver wellbeing and safety features to the sustainability of its fleet,” he said.
“That combination of commercial ambition and genuine responsibility is precisely what we want to see from mobility partners operating in our city.”
It added that preparations are underway to launch the EV category in Johannesburg, but that an official launch date will be communicated closer to the rollout once fleet requirements are finalised.
The company said that drivers interested in joining the EV category can register through Bolt’s driver onboarding channels.
“EV vehicles are being introduced primarily through fleet partnerships such as YugoRide,” it said.
“As the category expands, Bolt will share additional onboarding opportunities and requirements for drivers interested in operating electric vehicles on the platform.”
According to TopAuto, YugoRide was selected to manage the deal between Bolt and a Chinese EV manufacturer Dongfeng, which is supplying the vehicles for the ride-hailing platform.
The platform will offer customers access to Dongfeng’s Box hatchback model at first, with a more premium option expected soon after through its 007.
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