Ride-hailing service Bolt to challenge Uber in Zurich
Uber's dominance of Zurich’s ride-hailing market is about to be threatened with the arrival of Bolt in the city.
The company, which already operates scooter and e-bike hire in both Zurich and Basel, is offering rides with drivers who are contracted through Bolt’s platform.
In a LinkedIn post, Bolt CEO Markus Villig stated: “Despite the strict (Swiss) regulations, and therefore a limited driver pool, we already have +600 plus signed up and are only getting started."
Bolt has promised cheaper fares than their global rival, Uber, stating that they take a 20 percent cut from each ride, in comparison to Uber’s 25 percent.
As with Uber, users pay per kilometre travelled, with increased charges for peak or ‘surge periods’.
Also, like Uber and other ride-hailing services, rides with Bolt are booked and paid for via a smartphone app, available for Android and Apple phones.
The Estonian company, founded by Villig as Taxify in 2013, advertises itself as a micromobility hire, grocery delivery and ride-hailing service.
Following a significant investment by German motor giant Daimler in 2018, the company was valued at over one billion euros.
In 2019, Bolt also partnered with the University of Tartu in Estonia to develop self-driving cars, also known as autonomous vehicles (AVs).
In 2024, Bolt operates in 500 cities across 45 countries, employing around three and a half million drivers, and has been described as the world’s fastest-growing micromobility company.
Thanks to high incomes and a concentration of global firms having a base in Germany, taxi and ride-hailing services have enjoyed success in Switzerland.
The market volume of ride-hailing services in Switzerland, such as Bolt, Uber, Lyft, Freenow, Gett and Ola, is projected to reach half a billion euro by 2028, with 1.39 million users.
Despite this, traditional taxi companies still lead the Swiss market, with a current market volume of over half a billion euros.
Much of the penetration of the new generation of ride-hailing apps has been slowed by the Swiss taxi industry’s enthusiastic adoption of apps and the Swiss government’s focus on supporting sustainable travel options, such as electric vehicles.
Comments
See Also
The company, which already operates scooter and e-bike hire in both Zurich and Basel, is offering rides with drivers who are contracted through Bolt’s platform.
In a LinkedIn post, Bolt CEO Markus Villig stated: “Despite the strict (Swiss) regulations, and therefore a limited driver pool, we already have +600 plus signed up and are only getting started."
Bolt has promised cheaper fares than their global rival, Uber, stating that they take a 20 percent cut from each ride, in comparison to Uber’s 25 percent.
As with Uber, users pay per kilometre travelled, with increased charges for peak or ‘surge periods’.
Also, like Uber and other ride-hailing services, rides with Bolt are booked and paid for via a smartphone app, available for Android and Apple phones.
The Estonian company, founded by Villig as Taxify in 2013, advertises itself as a micromobility hire, grocery delivery and ride-hailing service.
Following a significant investment by German motor giant Daimler in 2018, the company was valued at over one billion euros.
In 2019, Bolt also partnered with the University of Tartu in Estonia to develop self-driving cars, also known as autonomous vehicles (AVs).
In 2024, Bolt operates in 500 cities across 45 countries, employing around three and a half million drivers, and has been described as the world’s fastest-growing micromobility company.
Thanks to high incomes and a concentration of global firms having a base in Germany, taxi and ride-hailing services have enjoyed success in Switzerland.
The market volume of ride-hailing services in Switzerland, such as Bolt, Uber, Lyft, Freenow, Gett and Ola, is projected to reach half a billion euro by 2028, with 1.39 million users.
Despite this, traditional taxi companies still lead the Swiss market, with a current market volume of over half a billion euros.
Much of the penetration of the new generation of ride-hailing apps has been slowed by the Swiss taxi industry’s enthusiastic adoption of apps and the Swiss government’s focus on supporting sustainable travel options, such as electric vehicles.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.