Ride-hailing app Bolt has introduced a new pricing regime for its Kumasi market.

The development has elicited mixed reactions from both patrons and drivers on the platform.

The new feature allows customers to adjust the original cost of a trip by either topping up, reducing, or maintaining the price when ordering a ride.

Luv Business understands that this change was prompted by complaints from drivers, who argued that the old pricing system was negatively affecting their daily earnings.

Previously, drivers often had to negotiate with passengers to increase fares based on the distance and duration of the trip. This practice, however, caused discomfort for passengers, with many refusing to pay the adjusted fare or canceling their orders altogether.

Ride-hailing app, Bolt, has introduced a new pricing regime for its Kumasi market.

However, the new development has been met with mixed reactions from both patrons and drivers of the online driving platform.

The new feature provides customers with the option to either top-up, reduce, or maintain the original cost of a trip when ordering a ride.

Luv Business gathers the development follows complaints by the riders over the old pricing regime, which they argued was adversely impacting their daily sales.

The drivers usually haggle with passengers to increase the fare before they can pick them up, given the distance and duration of the trip.

It, however, came with discomfort to the passengers as many of them either failed to pay up for the trip or consequently canceled their order.

“Sometimes, looking at the distance we cover and the 10% percent commission we must pay to the app after every trip, it wasn’t helping us get enough. That’s why we sometimes have to request passengers to do the trip offline,” a driver told Luv Business on condition of anonymity.

The tussle between the drivers and passengers impacted the popularity and daily business of the app.

The new feature has however come as a surprise to many of its users in Kumasi because it is only peculiar to the city.

“In Accra, the price surge or demand is always high so it doesn’t really affect the daily income of the drivers there. But when you come today Kumasi, that’s not the case. We are incurring losses because the price surge only hits its peak when it’s about raining,” the driver added.

Luv News sought answers from Bolt on the new development and how it helps with the digital transport system.

Bolt explained the new feature was only available in Kumasi, emphasising it is to allow a flexible pricing system on their platform.

While drivers of the online driving platform are convinced the new feature would help them break even, passengers conversely question the feasibility of same.

“It’s not logical, neither is it feasible,” a regular customer, Priscilla Serwaa, said.