Bolt

Legal Name: Bolt Technology OÜ
Brands: Bolt
Founded: 2013
Headquarters: Tallinn, Estonia
Type: Public
Categories: Ride-hailing, scooter-sharing, food delivery
Markets: 50+ countries (Europe, Africa, Middle East)
Parent: None

Overview: Bolt (formerly Taxify) is a leading ride-hailing and micromobility platform based in Europe. It connects riders to drivers for taxi and private car rides, operating in hundreds of cities across 50+ countries. Bolt also offers e-scooter and bike rentals, as well as food delivery (Bolt Food). The company has over 100 million users and is the #1 ride-hailing app in several European and African markets. Recently, Bolt has focused on profitability and autonomous vehicle trials. It competes directly with Uber in many regions, often at lower prices.

Products and Services: Bolt’s core mobility service is app-based ride-hailing and ridepooling. Users book vehicles of various classes (economy, premium, taxi) and pay via app. The Bolt Scooter and Bike services let users ride-share on electric scooters/bicycles. Bolt Food delivers restaurant meals in 100+ cities. The company’s structure: Bolt Technology OÜ is the parent, with subsidiaries in each operating country. It uses a commission model (taking ~20% of fares). Bolt continually updates its app with safety features (e.g. SOS button) and integrations (Uber-compatible ticketing in Europe).

Key Dates:
– 2013: Founded as Taxify in Tallinn.
– 2016: Expands to 14 African countries.
– 2018: Rebrands to Bolt; raises $175M from Didi and others.
– 2020: Launches scooter rentals in major European cities.
– 2022: Goes public via SPAC (NASDAQ: BTNR) at $8B valuation.
– 2024: Expands Bolt Food to more markets; introduces loyalty program.
– 2026: Begins trials of autonomous vehicles in Europe.