Ride-hailing app Bolt push Liverpool private hire driver recruitment as they continue UK expansion

Ride-hailing firm Bolt are pushing a Liverpool private hire driver recruitment campaign as they continue expansion around England.

The campaign, which was launched this month, states that wannabe Bolt drivers have the opportunity to “earn extra money” and encourages private hire drivers to “start driving when we launch in Liverpool”.

The Estonian born app have been on the coattails of Uber for a number of years, as they look to be the market leader in ride-hailing private hire vehicles (PHVs).

The company has just recently announced its largest ever funding round to further scale its existing products and accelerate the transition from owned cars to shared mobility in cities.

The £523 million (€628 million) investment round was led by Sequoia Capital and Fidelity Management and Research Company LLC with participation from Whale Rock, Owl Rock (a division of Blue Owl), D1, G Squared, Tekne, Ghisallo, and others, and takes Bolt’s valuation to £6.1 billion (€7.4 billion).

But with recent struggles to recruit enough drivers, along with a big shake up in the ride-hailing industry due to High Court rulings involving Uber, Bolt increased their London fares.

Prices for Bolt's standard private hire car service now closely match Uber's at £1.42 (Uber's being £1.41) per mile. 13p per minute is also added to each fare price which starts at £2.75, with a minimum fare requirement of £5.50, all of which match Uber's to the penny.

2021 saw Bolt continue its rapid nationwide expansion across the UK, which marked its arrival in sixteen UK cities including Edinburgh, Cardiff and Birmingham. With the battle to reign supreme, Bolt look set to add Liverpool to their list of operating cities with a number of others said to be close behind.