Popular ride-hailing app Bolt reached a new milestone after its premium ride category, Bolt Comfort, recorded more than six times as many rides over the past year.
According to the company, the number of passengers using the category each month has also grown more than fivefold year-on-year, with the service now available in Nairobi and Mombasa.
The growth, according to Bolt, is largely due to demand for rides offering more space, newer vehicles and highly rated drivers. This specific category maintained an average passenger rating of about 4.9 out of five over the past year.
Bolt also reported an 18 per cent year-on-year improvement in estimated pickup times thanks to the expansion and wider distribution of drivers offering Comfort trips.
Launched in June 2025, Bolt Comfort initially operated in one zone of Nairobi before expanding across other areas in the capital. The service was introduced in Mombasa in May 2026, marking its first expansion outside Nairobi.
Since the introduction of the category, the number of drivers offering comfort trips has nearly tripled, with drivers needing to meet specific vehicle and service requirements before they can offer premium rides.
Vehicles hoping to join the Bolt Comfort category are typically subjected to a physical inspection against a Bolt checklist through a partnership with a Kenyan automobile inspection provider.
Bolt said it subsidises part of the inspection cost for qualifying drivers, while vehicles are also subjected to regular re-inspections.
Further, drivers offering Comfort trips are required to maintain a minimum rating of 4.8, alongside a strong service record. The company said the standards are intended to maintain consistency in vehicle condition and driver performance as the category expands.
Dimmy Kanyankole, Senior General Manager, Rides, East Africa, said the growth showed that passengers were increasingly seeking ride options suited to their individual needs.
“Comfort has grown because we built it around a clear standard and stayed true to it as demand grew,” Kanyankole said.
Drivers who meet the eligibility requirements can access a higher-demand segment of its platform through Comfort. The company added that the growing number of qualifying drivers has helped reduce the distance between vehicles and passengers, contributing to shorter pickup times.
The sustained growth of Comfort over the past year pointed to an expanding segment of ride-hailing users who prioritise vehicle quality and driver experience, according to Bolt. The company said the category remains positioned as a premium option while being competitively priced against comparable services.
Bolt said it would maintain the quality standards underpinning Comfort as the category enters its second year in Kenya.
