Close to one and a half years, we were introduced to Taxify, the ride-hailing platform that was seen to be the direct competitor to Uber here in Uganda. The app found ease in quickly capturing a fanbase, given the name rhymes with ‘taxi’.
The latest development is that the Estonian based company is now rebranding to Bolt, a name the firm has been using for its electric scooter service.
Taxify CEO Markus Villig said that the name change is to depict that the business is not only “a car-only ride-hailing company”, with plans in place to add more options such as scooters to its service list, as well as a possible entry into the public transport market.
He also noted that the name choice reflects the company’s focus on both electric vehicles and speed, adding that Bolt users will not need to take any action as the app will update automatically.
The one you already have on your mobile device will change automatically from Taxify to Bolt. Once you open the app, you will be informed about the name change. Our new visual style along with the new logo will be rolled out gradually.
The brand which has existed since 2013 has operations in 25 countries and 18 regions. In Africa, it operates in six countries – Kenya, Egypt, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria.
The competition has resulted in the company launching a boda-boda hailing option called Taxify Boda, to tap on the high demand for services that SafeBoda, and the likes are offering.
Despite a visible success in the Central Business District of Kampala, there is still a challenge for the app to expand outside the city to other developing towns and suburbs.
This, added to fare scams that have been reported by users and the rampant complaints by riders on poor pay, have tainted Taxify’s image which prompted some reports to emerge of the company closing shop in Uganda.
However, the rebrand gives hope of a revamp of the services offered and a better user experience across.
