The ride-hailing platform Bolt is now offering taxi services in Porto, with plans to expand this service to other regions of mainland Portugal by the third quarter of this year, the company announced.
In a statement, the company expressed that the inclusion of taxis on its platform aims to “improve response times and increase vehicle availability within the app, especially during peak demand hours.”
This service, already available in Madeira, allows users the option to choose between taxis or ride-hailing vehicles based on their preferences and availability.
“Reintroducing taxis to our platform is a way to provide more freedom of choice to users, simplifying access to different modes of transportation in a single digital space,” said Mário de Morais, head of the ride-hailing service through the Bolt app in Portugal, in the statement.
The integration begins in the Porto region, renewing a partnership with Raditáxis, with further cities on the mainland to be included progressively over the third quarter.
Nuno Inácio, Bolt’s head in Southern Europe, explained in an interview on June 14 that the initiative is part of a six-month pilot project aimed at improving the response to mobility requests in Porto, giving Raditáxis’ members the “opportunity to experience the platform and see its benefits.”
“Practically, the client enters the platform, places the request, sets the pickup and final destination, and then can choose from various taxi categories,” he added.
In this initial phase, three types of taxis are available: normal taxis that follow the usual meter price, light taxis with Bolt-replicated pricing, and a final category for larger vehicles, the XL taxis, which will replicate the meter price.”
Agostinho Seixas, president of Raditáxis do Porto, described the business to the press as a “disruptive step, as the cities themselves are growing and experiencing disruptive needs as well.”
