Bolt has reported significant financial losses due to a prank involving fake ride bookings between users in Nigeria and South Africa. This prank, which intensified existing tensions between the two countries, prompted Bolt to limit cross-border ride requests and block several user accounts, resulting in service disruptions.
The prank, which reportedly began when a South African user booked and then canceled a ride in Nigeria, has further strained the already complicated relationship between Nigeria and South Africa.
After a period of heightened tension between Nigerians and South Africans, sparked by a series of pranks using the ride-hailing platform Bolt, the situation has begun to calm down, according to reports from.
The conflict initially arose on social media following the arrival of Chidinma Adetshina, a former Miss South Africa contestant with Nigerian roots, in Nigeria to compete in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant. Her arrival ignited a social media dispute, which quickly escalated into a series of prank ride orders on Bolt, creating frustration and financial losses for drivers in both countries.
Over the weekend, numerous viral videos showed the extent of these fake orders, with South Africans reportedly initiating the pranks by booking and then canceling rides after drivers had arrived at the pick-up locations. In response, Nigerians retaliated, escalating the online rivalry.
A Lagos-based driver shared his experience, explaining that he was caught up in the prank war. He recounted how he received a request for a ride to Murtala Muhammed International Airport from Ketu, only to discover after 30 minutes of waiting that it was a fake order. The driver expressed his frustration, noting that he had wasted fuel that cost him ₦950.
He said, “I got a request on Thursday from a passenger who claimed he was going to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport from Ketu. I got to the said destination and started calling the number but only realised after about 30 minutes that it was a fake order. I was really pained because I bought fuel at N950.”
Yahaya Mohammed, Bolt’s Country Manager, mentioned that the company has initiated an investigation to assess the financial impact. He also hinted at potential compensation for drivers affected by these fake bookings. To prevent further issues, Bolt has implemented measures, including blocking IP addresses from both countries to stop users from placing orders outside their home country.
“What we did was to block high volume of where these orders were coming from in both Nigeria and South Africa and the second and more permanent solution was then to trace IP addresses from both countries and
An investigation will be done internally and everything will be analysed on how riders have ordered; the riders will be analysed in terms of their performance and what they have done in the past few days.
“It will have to be on the in-depth analysis of the rides that were booked and kilometres that the drivers wasted and see whether there is room for compensation, but at the moment, it is something that is currently being discussed and obviously a communication will go out to drivers in the next few days.
“Going forward, we will have more restricted access, particularly for these two countries”, Mohammed said.
Mohammed explained that the company is conducting a thorough analysis of the situation, including reviewing the rides booked, the distance covered by drivers, and the losses incurred. This analysis will help determine whether compensation is appropriate for the drivers who suffered losses due to the prank.
Additionally, Femi Adeyemo, Bolt’s Communication Manager, confirmed that the company experienced financial setbacks due to the prank. He emphasized that Bolt takes such disruptions seriously and is committed to minimizing their impact on both drivers and passengers, ensuring the highest quality service across all markets.