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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.

Published: 2 May 2024 12:40 CEST
Ride-hailing service Bolt to challenge Uber in Zurich
Ride hailing service Bolt is available in Zurich. (Photo by BEN STANSALL / AFP)

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. 

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TRAVEL NEWS

Why is Switzerland going to collect a database of flight passengers?

Twenty years after the US began sharing a database of those flying in and out of the country in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Switzerland is set to follow suit - but not without some outside pressure. 

Published: 16 May 2024 15:51 CEST
Why is Switzerland going to collect a database of flight passengers?

Passenger Name Record (PNR) systems are databases that operate by flagging and tracking individuals who may pose a security risk. 

The data includes the name, destination, means of payment, and type of baggage for each passenger arriving or leaving a country via its airports. 

Until now, Switzerland has not participated in a PNR system in a way that allows data to be freely accessible to partners such as the EU and the US. 

Indeed, for years, it has been possible to circumvent the EU’s PNR systems by flying into Switzerland and crossing a land border with the EU. 

Now, however, Switzerland is being forced to comply. 

The United States has threatened Switzerland’s place in their Visa Waiver Program unless they share data. 

Similarly, the EU has applied significant diplomatic pressure to join their efforts – and considerable progress has already occurred, with agreements signed. 

Other countries have also signalled that Swiss carriers may withdraw their landing rights or impose heavy fines if Switzerland does not begin participating in a compliant PNR system. 

Changes in effect 2026

On Wednesday, Justice Minister Beat Jans announced at a press conference that a PNR program that worked in collaboration with other countries would come into effect in 2026. 

The reason given for the length of time it would take to go into effect was that a legal basis for the move does not yet exist in Swiss law—a dispatch on proposed legislation has only just been sent to the Federal Council.

Once passed by the Federal Council and then by the Council of States, the federal police will be responsible for tracking passengers via a new group – the Passenger Information Unit (PIU). 

The PIU will examine passenger manifests a day before and immediately before flights taking off or landing and compare them to shared lists of individuals involved in terrorism, organised crime, or who have committed violent crimes. 

If there is a match, information will be forwarded to authorities at the relevant airport.  

Privacy concerns 

Understandably, for the privacy-conscious Swiss, concerns have been raised. 

Both the right-wing SVP, the Greens and the SPD have voiced doubts about the security and privacy of passenger data. 

In response, the government has announced that all passenger data except for that relates to those linked to terrorist groups will be deleted after six months. 

To further ease concerns, Switzerland’s PNR system will be constantly monitored by the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner to ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act.

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