Bolt: Request a Ride

What it is

Bolt is a ride-hailing app from Bolt Technology, listed under Maps & Navigation. It was released in July 2013 and last updated on 2026-10-23. It is free, rated Everyone, and has 100,000,000+ installs. The rating is 4.82 from 11,041,984 ratings, which is the largest rating pool and one of the highest averages in this batch.

What it does well

The booking flow is described in four steps: set a destination, pick a ride type, follow the driver in real time, then rate the trip. Ride types named in the listing include Comfort, Premium, Electric and XL. The listing says the fare is shown before you confirm, and that payment can be a credit or debit card, Google Pay or cash.

Safety gets its own section. There is an emergency assist button that alerts the company’s safety team, an option to record audio during a ride, and a setting that keeps your phone number private when you call a driver. The listing is open about one limitation: some of these features need the app to keep running in the background.

There is more than rides here. The listing mentions scooters and e-bikes for rent, a car-sharing service called Bolt Drive, and a Send option for parcel delivery. Trips can also be scheduled ahead, anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 days before pickup.

The star split backs up the headline score. 91% of ratings are 5 stars and only 2.2% are 1 star. For an app with this many ratings, that is a very small unhappy group.

Where it falls short

The listing states that Bolt options differ by location. In practice that means the scooters, car sharing or delivery may not exist where you live, and you will only find out inside the app. The listing also mentions a subscription called Bolt Plus with exclusive perks but gives no detail on what they are or what the plan costs.

The background requirement for safety features may matter to people who restrict battery use. The listing does not say how much battery the app uses.

Who it suits

City commuters and airport travelers who want upfront pricing and a choice of ride types are the obvious audience. People who like to plan ahead can use the scheduling tool. Check the in-app availability for your city before relying on anything beyond standard rides.