Nigerians have triggered extreme Bolt surge pricing in Cape Town and Johannesburg, leaving many South Africans stranded due to unavailable and overly expensive rides.
The long-standing rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa escalated on Thursday, as citizens from both countries targeted each other by ordering e-hailing rides from rival countries, and then cancelling the orders once the drivers arrived at the pickup location.
The digital war is reportedly linked to a recent rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa, sparked by beauty model Chidimma Adetshina withdrawal from the Miss South Africa pageant. She faced backlash and xenophobic attacks due to a nationality dispute and choosing to compete for Miss Universe Nigeria instead.
Beyond this, the virtual ride or die game has raised questions about the safety measures ride-hailing platforms like Uber and Bolt have put in place to prevent fraudulent bookings.
Yahaya Mohammed, the Nigerian Country Manager for Bolt said, “Bolt is aware of the incident involving fake ride requests between individuals in Nigeria and South Africa.”
“We have successfully taken measures to resolve the issue of fake ride requests affecting our driver-partners, particularly those operating in Nigeria and South Africa. The integrity and safety of our platform, both for driver-partners and riders, is our utmost priority.”
Ride and repercussions
What began as a lighthearted digital squabble between both countries has some economic implications.
On the bright side, the ongoing controversy may prompt people to sign up for e-hailing accounts just to join in on the action, even if they don’t really need to use the service at the time.
But it’s not all good news. The sudden flood of ride requests can put a strain on operations, leading to a decline in service quality and user satisfaction.
This could drive some riders to switch to other apps after dealing with sky-high prices or unreliable rides, which could hurt the platform’s long-term customer base.
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