E-hailing service Bolt has blocked inter-country ride requests on Thursday following the tug-of-war banter between South Africans and Nigerians. Bolt reported it had suspended and blocked an undisclosed number of accounts that took part in fake ride requests. The situation led to an unfavourable situation for Bolt drivers in both countries.
Inter-country fake rides, tit for tat The rides prank began after former Miss SA 2024 contestant, Chidimma Adetshina’s arrival in Lagos for the Miss Universe Nigeria beauty pageant. “I’m so thrilled. I was excited throughout the flight and can’t wait to explore more of Nigeria.
I look forward to meeting the other contestants. I’m grateful for the opportunity to compete,” Adetshina said in the viral video . Her participation in the competition sparked controversy over her identity and citizenship.
The silly cab trend stemming from Chidimma banter led South Africans to order bolt rides in Nigeria to spite and waste Nigerian drivers’ time. South Africans on social media X could be seen requesting rides in Nigeria and subsequently cancelling them upon the driver’s arrival at the pickup location. Nigerians then decided to return the favour by also requesting cars on their side and only to cancel them on arrival.
Bolt told News24 that it was mindful of the situation and resorted to blocking users who requested fraudulent rides. “Bolt is aware of the fake ride request incident between some people in Nigeria and South Africa. Fol.