Bolt halts ‘cross-country’ ride after Nigeria-South Africa row

As Nigeria and South Africa’s rivalry on social media reaches all-time highs (or lows) with people prank-booking taxis in the other country and then cancelling the trip, online taxi company Bolt has restricted “cross-border” requests between Nigeria and South Africa.

The drivers are pawns in this malicious game, sent out in a futile attempt to find passengers who are not even in the same country.

Munyarazi Chinyama, a Zimbabwean Bolt driver in Cape Town, told the BBC he received three requests for rides before realising they were fake. He said he had wasted a lot of fuel, time and money.

Bolt told the BBC it had identified and blocked users who were engaging in the cruel game.

“We understand the impact this situation has had on our driver-partners in Nigeria and South Africa,” the company said in a statement.

It said cross-border requests would still be valid between other countries.

Chinyama told the BBC he had received a flood of abusive messages through the Bolt’s driver-passenger messaging feature.

He said people had called him various nicknames, including “Mandela’s son.”

It is unclear how the Bolt Wars began, but social media users in sub-Saharan Africa’s two largest economies have a long history of attacking each other.

On Tuesday, one user on X said: “When I’m bored I ask Nigerians to say (Bolt) ‘Their brothers don’t respect us.'” This appeared to set off a chain of events, with Nigerians retaliating swiftly.

One disgruntled Nigerian driver based in Kano told the BBC he received an order for an airport pick-up from an international number, but the person listed did not show up.

“I called several times but they didn’t answer. Then they cancelled the trip,” he said.

He said he was not the only victim. Many of his colleagues faced similar problems.

Some social media users supported the drivers, saying they were just trying to make a living.

“Uber and Bolt drivers are just trying to make ends meet. They are not harassing anyone on Twitter. They are just trying to earn an honest living. Please don’t bother them. I am talking to both sides,” one X user wrote.

A second said: “The Flash Challenge pains me because innocent, hard working people on both sides are suffering because of the evil and thoughtlessness of others. It really isn’t fair.”

Fuel prices in Nigeria have soared in recent months, forcing many drivers to waste scarce fuel picking up non-existent passengers.

The “bolt war” has also reportedly caused a surge in fares in both countries, with many people left in dire straits as they were unable to pay their fares.

South Africans and Nigerians often quarrel on social media.

They recently rowed past Miss South Africa Controversy One half-Nigerian contestant withdrew from the competition after being subjected to xenophobic abuse.

The two African heavyweights also pitted their pop stars Tyla and Arya Starr against each other. The two sides exchanged insults about their respective countries’ football teams.