Bolt issues official response to News.Az publication

Bolt has responded to the recent News.Az publication with the following official statement:

Problem #1: Refusal of card payments

Bolt is a ride-hailing platform that cooperates with both private drivers and car rental fleets to sign up and make trips on the Bolt platform. At the same time, drivers are not employed by Bolt; they are independent partners who use the platform for providing their services. At Bolt, we encourage our partner drivers to the highest standards of professionalism and courtesy, ensuring that every rider has a pleasant and safe experience, regardless of the event or season. Our drivers are regularly reminded of these core principles, including polite communication, maintaining vehicle cleanliness, and utilizing language translation tools when necessary to assist international guests.

Bolt follows all local regulations in Azerbaijan, cooperates with officials, and pays necessary taxes. Every complaint shared with Bolt’s support in Azerbaijan is being investigated, and appropriate consequences, according to Terms and Conditions, are implemented for both drivers and riders. Rejecting card payments causes a decreased score on the platform, which at some point will result in removal from the platform. At the same time, the Bolt team educates partner drivers, who are not the platform’s employees, on proper behavior towards riders. Safety is our priority, and we encourage all Bolt platform participants to give us direct feedback about their experience, as this is what we rely on to provide the best service and support for them.

Problem #2: Long wait times

According to new regulations, it is forbidden to use cars that are more than 15 years old in passenger transportation. For this reason, older vehicles are gradually being deactivated from the system. As a result, while demand remains high, the decrease in supply may lead to longer wait times during peak traffic periods.

News.Az