Ride-hailing platform Bolt has integrated with artificial intelligence (AI) assistant ChatGPT in South Africa, letting users plan and request rides through a chat interface instead of the Bolt app.
According to a company statement, the integration is part of a global rollout across all Bolt markets. It works through a plugin that users install from the ChatGPT Plugin Directory.
The feature is available now. Getting to it requires a few steps before you can say “get me a ride” to a chatbot.
What the plugin actually does
Once the Bolt plugin is installed, users can interact with Bolt directly inside ChatGPT. They will receive an upfront fare estimate, compare route options, view their driver’s estimated arrival time, and identify a convenient pickup location to reduce waiting times.
When a user is ready to travel, trip details are transferred to the Bolt app, where the booking is completed. So the full journey does not happen inside ChatGPT.
Payments, at launch, are processed through the Bolt app. Bolt plans to introduce in-chat payment functionality in a future update, at which point users would be able to complete the entire booking without leaving ChatGPT.
What Bolt says about it
“South Africans are increasingly embracing AI to simplify everyday tasks, and mobility should be no different,” said Simo Kalajdzic, senior operations manager at Bolt South Africa.
“Whether you’re planning a night out, heading to the airport or travelling to a meeting, you can now ask ChatGPT for a Bolt ride, compare your options and get a fare estimate in seconds.”
Kalajdzic added that the experience “only requires users to install the Bolt plugin in ChatGPT, making requesting a ride more seamless than ever.”
