NTSA declines to renew Bolt’s operating license in Kenya over rule violations
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has refused to renew the operating license of taxi-hailing company Bolt due to alleged violations of transportation regulations, including unauthorized commission charges and booking fees.
Bolt had requested a license renewal as its current one issued in October 2022 expires in 17 days.
However, the NTSA declined the request, citing mounting complaints from drivers and their representatives regarding non-compliance and rule violations.
In a letter to Bolt’s country manager, Linda Ndungu, NTSA’s deputy director, Cosmas Ngeso, requested a plan from Bolt to address the breaches.
NTSA also demanded Bolt provide commission rate details and stop charging the alleged illegal booking fee.
Failure to renew the license would be a setback for Bolt, which entered the Kenyan market in 2016 as Taxify.
NTSA claims to have evidence of Bolt’s violations and expects compliance before the October 28 expiration date.