Bolt sets up new home in West London as 30,000 drivers join the platform since June

Today ride-hailing firm, Bolt, unveiled a new hub for private hire drivers in Chiswick, west London, amid reports of rapidly growing demand from drivers and passengers in the capital.

According to the Estonian firm, passenger numbers have grown to more than 1.5million in six months, five times the three-month figure.

Bolt hope that the hub will provide a permanent location for current and prospective drivers to meet members of Bolt’s customer service team in person.

The app, which was formerly known as Taxify, charges UK drivers 15% commission which is almost half of that taken by other ride-hailing operators. Bolt has accepted more than 30,000 onto its platform in London since launching in June this year.

The European app, along with other rivals like Ola and Kapten, are hoping to fill the potential void left by Uber who lost their operator's licence last month.

Bolt is currently one of the fastest-growing ride-hailing businesses in the world and is said to serve more than 30 million customers across 150+ cities in more than 35 countries.

Sam Raciti, Bolt UK Country Manager, said: “Our new London driver hub allows us to offer a better and more personal service. Mirroring our driver-focused company ethos, we consulted drivers during the planning stage. The feedback we received suggested drivers wanted the hub located somewhere outside the London congestion zone, with good access to the M25, M4 and Heathrow, and easily accessible from a thoroughfare. Chiswick was the perfect location to meet these criteria. Now, we look forward to welcoming drivers on a daily basis and helping them to get the most out of the Bolt platform.”

Image credits: Bolt