Bolt introduced Bolt Plus in Kenya with a monthly fee of KSh280 or an annual payment of KSh899, joining Uber One and Glovo Prime in the subscription market.
The Bolt Plus plan offers up to 10 per cent cashback on eligible rides, free delivery worth up to KSh200 per order, priority driver matching and three free ride cancellations each month, and it is promoted with a free first month followed by six months at KSh119 before the regular price applies.
Uber One, launched in March 2025, charges KSh280 per month or KSh2,800 per year and provides cashback that varies by ride category – 10 per cent for Comfort and UberXL trips and 5 per cent for UberX – together with free delivery on Uber Eats orders above KSh600, waived service fees and member-only promotions.
Glovo Prime costs KSh400 a month and gives members free delivery on qualifying restaurant and shop orders as well as promotional offers, with the company citing average savings of about KSh150 per order.
Bolt’s annual option is KSh899, which is KSh2,461 cheaper than paying the monthly rate for a year, while Uber One’s KSh2,800 annual plan saves KSh560 against its monthly equivalent, making Bolt’s effective monthly cost about KSh75 compared with roughly KSh233 for Uber One.
Glovo Kenya managing director Caroline Mutuku said the platform now works with more than 6,000 merchants, about 80 per cent of which are small and medium-sized businesses, operates in 12 towns and cities and has roughly 2,200 active riders daily.
Country sales manager Daniel Njomo explained that Bolt Business enables companies to manage employee travel through a central account with trip records, cost reporting and project-level expense attribution.
“A subscription only works when the customer can see the value in it,” said Ivy Maingi, Bolt Food’s Kenya general manager.
Former Kenya country manager Linda Ndungu has previously discussed Bolt’s focus on driver opportunities, safety, regulation and support for electric motorcycle adoption.
An Ipsos report valued Kenya’s gig economy at $1.03 billion (KSh168.97 billion) with 1.54 million workers as of June 2025, noting that e-commerce accounts for 42 per cent of gig-based activity, ride-hailing 20 per cent and freelancing 17 per cent.
The subscription push occurs amid an ongoing dispute over an 18 per cent commission ceiling that was the subject of court proceedings in 2026 involving platforms, drivers and regulators.
