The hustle and bustle of Johannesburg traffic is always an intriguing thing to find yourself in. Whether it’s navigating your way through an area suffering from a blackout and encountering an accident at every intersection you pass by or the antics of recyclers as they zip by you on their trollies with one foot dragging along the tarmac as their braking system, it's all an adventure.
The roads of Johannesburg are always memorable, and we aren’t even talking about gas explosions that look computer generated. For the last couple of mornings, I have had the experience of having my Bolt rides to work take on a different complexion, a yellow one in fact.
It was a chilly morning and as is the case with every other morning I chose the cheapest option to ferry myself to the mill. I ash my cigarette as an odd-looking vehicle approaches me. It sounds like a motorcycle but looks like the love child between those Smart cars and a shopping trolley. This contraption stops where I’m standing, and the driver opens the tiny window and asks me if I’m waiting for a Bolt.
With a bemused look on my face, I tell him yes and I make my way into the trolley through some rather peculiar doors. It has a tuk tuk vibe but a little more insulated. The driver turns the entire machine around in a narrow road in one fell swoop and we’re on our way. That same look of bemusement is shared by the other motorists who drive by the Bajaj Qute as it rattles along the road. On the side of the road is a dog that has been mistakenly locked out of its house and I swear he was looking at the Bajaj like, 'I could probably take this. Make it my new chew toy.'
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Inside, there isn’t much to see. A few air vents and an air conditioning system on the roof, a speedometer that goes up to a mind boggling 100kmh although I fear what might happen to this car at top speed. Below the dash on the front passenger’s side is the small spare tyre and a cubby hole that looks big enough for someone to stash their bank cards and the like and that would be all.
Apparently, what I had chosen in my morning fog was a new addition by Bolt called Lite. That’s an apt name as this vehicle takes bumps in a manner that might dislodge an organ and one that will definitely liven up your morning and snap you out of any highway hypnosis. It isn’t much for speed so selecting this option to make an early morning meeting would more than likely spell failure for you.
So, why did this happen?
Regional Manager at Bolt for East and Southern Africa Malaba has been in this position since 2021.
He says the idea by Bolt was to make things easier for the pockets of both their drivers and commuters.
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“Bolt is committed to ensuring that the market has access to reliable and cost-effective modes of transport, both from a driver and passenger perspective. The new category will also provide a sustained pathway for young people and women to access economic earning opportunities as this low-cost vehicle reduces operational costs.”
The category is still very new, but Bolt is monitoring the responses from the communities of Randburg, Sandton, Linden, Melville, Parktown and Braamfontein where these Bajaj Qute have cropped up after a rollout on July 24.
“So far, responses have been positive - many drivers have started earning for their families, and more people have found an affordable and reliable means of door-to-door transport. Lite drivers have been onboarded through our fleet partner MyNextCar.”
The road has been bumpy however, much like it is when seated at the back of one of these…vehicles. A few consumers have been reluctant to enter the Bolt Lite’s once they arrive as the car looks to be the size of a crumple zone of a regular ride. If, God forbid, you were to maybe get T-boned in one of these, the Bajaj is likely to do a flip. In all honesty if you got a few friends together with enough muscle, picking one of these up by hand would not be a stretch and would probably make for a great prank.
“The is a compact, fuel-efficient vehicle for quick, short trips. Bolt is always looking for ways to improve driver earnings. Introducing this new category will do so by providing a fuel-efficient and compact vehicle resulting in fuel savings and operational efficiencies that will benefit driver earnings in these tough economic times,” Takura says.
While the vehicles are compact, they are licensed to drive on all South African roads, including highways, which I might pay to see. The areas where these vehicles currently operate do not allow for high speeds and for longer distance requests, this feature disappears as this car embodies notions of local being lekker.
“Bolt continuously develops safety features and tools that directly address drivers’ and passengers' safety concerns. Through our partnership with the Automobile Association (AA), drivers and passengers can access an emergency response service integrated into the app. Activating this service shares the driver’s details and location with AA’s 24/7 contact centre, and then deploys private security and emergency services immediately.”
Additionally, the Bajaj vehicles are also kitted with a physical emergency button that drivers can use when they feel unsafe. In case all that fails, “We also offer free trauma counselling to both drivers and passengers following any traumatic incident while using the platform through our partner Oaksure.”
What it’s like to drive one of these yellow buggies?
I was so puzzled by the vehicle I found myself in on that first morning that I opted for it again on the way back home and had to bend the ear of my driver for the trip, Gloria.
This 49-year-old woman has been driving Bolts for a couple of years now and said that she first encountered the new Bajaj when she visited the Bolt offices in Randburg and found the new rides being promoted.
"It was quite interesting and I applied for it and I qualified. It's a fuel-efficient car which helps me to save money and increase my earnings. No worries about any unexpected costs in the event of an accident or damage to the car. The Bajaj is always in top condition with their network of service providers where they schedule the service."
The native of Mogale City has been driving e-hailing taxis for nine years now. The friendly taxi driver explains that on her first day with the Bajaj, she received a few prank requests, “Others were fascinated when they first saw me on the road you know.”
It has been a mix of people either admiring these odd-looking cars or poking fun at them.
“People have taken pictures of the car both inside and outside while others laugh when I arrive for a pick up.”
I experienced what Gloria says is a regular occurrence on my trip with her. A bunch of my colleagues gathered around the bright yellow Bajaj as it's 0,3 litre engine purred aggressively outside the Media24 gate. They all inquired loudly who this belongs to and when I emerged and entered the ride, a thunderous burst of laughter reverberated around the threshold to the premises. I'll keep it a buck with you, this isn't the whip to roll up in on date night, trust.
The laughs are something that Gloria is accustomed to.
"Look some people do laugh at the car and that's okay. Others take pictures of the inside and outside," she says.
Driving Bolts has always had its own set of challenges which Gloria still battles with regularly.
"Challenges I get are scammers requesting with lady’s names yet they are male passengers and robbers requesting with wrong locations."
Let us know if you would be brave enough to take a ride on the Lite side of life in the comments below.
