Cape Town’s tourism and shopping hotspots have seen an uptick in traffic over the last six months, according to e-hailing platform Bolt, having seen a 19% increase in the total number of rides hailed in the Mother City over that time.
Despite many countries still banning travel from South Africa, or imposing strict quarantine conditions for travellers arriving in their countries, e-hailing rides to Cape Town International Airport have increased significantly by 44% since December 2020, while requests for rides from the airport have soared by 63% over the last six months.
“Whether they’re travelling locally or internationally, more Capetonians than ever before are choosing to travel to or from the airport using Bolt, with its affordable rates and efficient service,” says Gareth Taylor, Regional Manager for Bolt in Southern Africa. “In addition, drivers are well trained in COVID-19 risk mitigation so that passengers feel comfortable to ride with them.”
When it comes to shopping, Bolt’s activity heat map revealed that Cape Town’s buzzing V&A Waterfront is its top pick-up location in the city, followed by the Blue Route Mall, Cavendish Square, and Canal Walk. Liberty Promenade, which is located in the heart of Mitchells Plain, is the fifth most popular pick-up point in Cape Town.
“Our data shows that many more passengers are being picked up at Cape Town’s shopping centres than are being dropped off there,” Taylor says. “This likely shows that Capetonians are using public transport to travel to their shopping destination of choice, but they’re calling a driver using the Bolt platform to travel home in a car so that they can go door to door without having to walk far or wait for other modes of transport.”
Other popular shopping malls where shoppers choose to hail a ride home after their ‘retail therapy’ include N1 City, Vantage Mall, Parow Centre, Zevenwacht Mall, and St Peter’s Square.
“E-hailing drivers are helping shoppers across the city of Cape Town to get home, making sure that they travel safely and conveniently, and they don’t have to worry about managing their shopping bags on public transport,” Taylor adds.
The e-hailing service has seen a 19% overall increase in rides over the last six months, supported by steady growth in the number of drivers signing up to use the platform to run their own micro-enterprises.