Bolt, the Estonia-headquartered mobility platform operating in more than 50 countries, has launched an integration of its ride-hailing service with ChatGPT, enabling users to search for and book rides through the chatbot.
According to the company, the integration is live across all of Bolt’s markets, including eight African countries where it operates in more than 90 cities. It gives ChatGPT’s 900 million weekly active users access to Bolt’s ride-hailing service through a prompt, allowing them to compare fares and request rides before completing the booking in the Bolt app.
The launch comes as AI becomes more integrated into everyday tasks, including travel planning. According to Google’s Our Life with AI survey, produced with Ipsos, 62% of Nigerians and 51% of South Africans used generative AI in 2025 for daily activities such as planning trips, meals or workout routines.
ChatGPT adoption is also growing faster in Africa and Asia than in any other region, although OpenAI has not disclosed the number of users on the continent. Bolt’s integration with ChatGPT opens its service to that expanding user base while tapping into Africa’s ride-hailing market expected to grow to $3.25 billion by 2031.
“People don’t plan their evening in five different apps anymore. A lot of that planning happens in one conversation with AI now,” said Caroline Wanjihia, regional director, rides operations for Bolt Africa and South East Asia. “For years, booking a ride meant opening a dedicated ride-hailing app. As more everyday interactions take place through AI, we think requesting a ride should be just as straightforward: ask, see the price, and go.”
To use the feature, riders would need to enable Bolt inside ChatGPT from the chatbot’s Plugins or Apps directory, which catalogues third-party services that can connect to ChatGPT. Once enabled, users can type a request for a ride, and ChatGPT responds with available ride categories, fare estimates, expected arrival times, and the recommended pickup location.
After selecting a ride, users can continue booking in Bolt, which launches the app with the trip details already filled in. The ride itself is paid for in the Bolt app, meaning existing payment methods such as cards or wallets linked to Bolt continue to handle the transaction.
The integration arrives at a time when Africa’s ride-hailing industry is undergoing regulatory and commercial changes. In July, the Kenyan Ministry of Roads and Transport proposed new regulations requiring platforms such as Bolt and Uber to guarantee drivers a minimum payment per trip. The move could almost double the country’s current base fare of around KES220 ($1.70) if adopted.
In South Africa, regulators formally recognised e-hailing as a formal category of public transport under amendments to the National Land Transport Act that came into effect in September 2025. The law requires ride-hailing vehicles to have an operating licence, mandates that platforms register with regulators, requires vehicles to display ride-hailing branding, and introduces additional safety measures such as panic buttons.
Although the ChatGPT integration currently stops at booking, Bolt said it plans to bring payments directly into ChatGPT in the future. If implemented, users would be able to complete the entire ride-booking process without leaving the AI assistant.
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