Bolt has launched its ride-hailing service in Liverpool today, bringing its Bolt Flex fare model to the city for the first time.

The launch on Wednesday, 26 August, expands Bolt’s transport presence in Liverpool, where the company already operates the city’s e-scooter and e-bike scheme in partnership with Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

Liverpool becomes the tenth UK city to introduce Bolt Flex, which differs from the fixed-price fares typically offered by ride-hailing platforms.

Rather than the app determining the final price of a journey, Bolt provides passengers with a suggested starting fare before allowing them and the driver to agree on a price.

Passengers can offer a lower fare if they are prepared to potentially wait longer for a driver, or propose a higher amount to increase their chances of securing a quicker pickup.

Drivers can then accept the offer or respond with their own price. A booking is only confirmed once both the passenger and driver agree on the fare.

Bolt says the system is designed to give drivers greater control over the value of the journeys they accept while giving passengers more choice between the amount they pay and how long they may have to wait.

According to data supplied by Bolt from cities where Flex is already available, drivers using the model earn more than 25% extra per trip and complete 14% more orders per hour.

The company also says Bolt Flex operates with a flat commission structure, giving drivers advance visibility over the proportion of each agreed fare that will be retained by the platform.

Research carried out by Bolt across its Flex pilot markets found 77% of surveyed drivers cited transparency as a reason for recommending the model, while 74% highlighted the freedom to set their own prices.

Kimberly Hurd, Senior General Manager at Bolt UK and Ireland, said:

“Liverpool is an important next step in the expansion of our UK ride-hailing business. We already have a strong presence in the city through our e-scooters and e-bikes, and adding ride-hailing means we can offer people even more choice in how they get around.

“We’re also bringing a model that gives riders and drivers more control over fares. Flex has shown us there’s demand for a different approach to ride-hailing pricing, one where the app can suggest a price, but the rider and driver have the final say.”

The Liverpool launch gives licensed private hire drivers across the city another platform through which to receive bookings.

The option to counter a passenger’s proposed fare could also allow drivers to take factors such as longer pickup distances, congestion and periods of increased demand into account when deciding whether to accept a journey.

For passengers, the service introduces an alternative to the immediate fixed-price quotes offered by many other ride-hailing apps, with the final fare instead determined through an agreement with the driver.

Liverpool will now become another major UK market in which Bolt tests its negotiated ride-hailing fare model as the company continues to expand its private hire operations.

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