This archive report was first published on 27 August 2019.
Bolt, a leading Estonian taxi company, has made a significant foray into the food delivery market with the launch of its new app, BOLT FOOD. The service has been introduced in Tallinn, Estonia, with the company promising to expand to other European and African cities later this year.
Founded in 2013 by a 19-year-old high school student, Bolt has grown to become a global brand with over 25 million users in more than 30 countries worldwide.
According to a press release, BOLT FOOD has partnered with over 80 restaurants in the Tallinn area, with plans to expand to more areas in Estonia before entering other markets.
“We have more than 25 million people around the world using Bolt, and food delivery has been a popular request for quite some time,” said the company in a statement. “It’s one of those services where you need to work extra hard on the underlying technology and operations to make it seamless and simple for customers. Luckily for us, the infrastructure and experience we have built up in our global ride-hailing business have given us a head start.”
With its ride-hailing business built on efficiency, Bolt aims to bring this mindset to food delivery, offering a lower price of delivery compared to other platforms while ensuring its couriers receive the best support.
However, if Bolt expands its food delivery service to Africa, it will face stiff competition from local solutions such as Uber Eats, Jumia Food, Glovo, and others that better understand the market.
Bolt currently operates in several Kenyan cities, including Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, and Kakamega.
