The National Transport Safety Authority has renewed the operating license for the taxi-ailing app Bolt Kenya.
A certificate of license seen by the Star indicates that Bolt has been allowed to conduct its transport activities in Kenya.
"This is to certify that Bolt Operation OU of Plot No. L.R. NO: 209/22216 has been duly licensed by the National Transport and Safety Authority under license No. NTSA/TNC/2023/004 to conduct transport network business in Kenya pursuant to and in accordance with the provision of the National Transport and Safety Authority(Transport Network Companies, Owners, Drivers, and Passengers) Regulations, 2022," the Certificate of Licence dated October 30, read.
The license had earlier been denied after NTSA informed Bolt Kenya to address some concerns regarding drivers.
A section of drivers had raised complaints regarding the operations costs owing to the high cost of living.
Two weeks ago, the company announced adjustments in fares in response to rising rising prices of fuel.
Bolt, said it revised its prices due to the challenging macroeconomic factors affecting the public transport sector including fuel costs.
The new changes saw fares raised across all bands in Nairobi.
The base fare was increased by between Sh70 and Sh100 across the economy, base, boda, and XL categories.
The minimum fare was also increased, with a range of Sh200 and Sh250 across the categories.
Bolt country manager Linda Ndungu said the firm has also increased per-kilometer pricing and introduced a long-distance rate.
“As such, we have adjusted our pricing to mitigate the rising fuel costs. This adjustment reaffirms our commitment to offering top earnings for drivers on our platform, and to remain the preferred, cost-effective choice for our customers.”
Price changes were also implemented across all categories in Mombasa, Kisumu, Kakamega, Nakuru, Naivasha and Mt Kenya regions.
The ride-hailing firm said that to enhance its driver relations and address drivers’ expectations, it recently launched its Driver Engagement Centre to ensure seamless and effective management of driver issues.