Uber and Bolt (formerly Taxify) are locked in a tight competition for supremacy in South Africa’s bustling ride-hailing market. A pricing comparison between five major cities shows that Bolt is cheaper overall.
However, Uber is closing this pricing gap.
BusinessTech looked at the comparative pricing and the average cost per kilometre for UberX and Bolt services, the two biggest ride-hailing platforms in South Africa.
The analysis excluded inDrive, the country’s third-largest ride-hailing service, due to its variable pricing structure where fares are negotiated between riders and drivers before the journey begins.
Uber and Bolt also offer varying ride options.
Uber provides a range of choices such as Uber Go, Uber Black, Uber Comfort, UberX, UberXL, and Uber Assist among others.
In contrast, Bolt offers Bolt, Bolt XL, Bolt Go, Bolt Comfort, Bolt Premium, and Bolt Women Only. Generally, Bolt tends to offer lower rates compared to Uber, although pricing can fluctuate based on factors like city and time of day.
BusinessTech compared the UberX and Bolt options – which are their standards.
Our comparison started with getting estimates for fares over three trips in South Africa’s five most populated cities — Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha, Johannesburg, and Pretoria. Due to their proximity to each other, Johannesburg and Pretoria were treated as one region.
Uber proved considerably cheaper than Bolt in Durban and Gqeberha, while Bolt was cheaper in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town.
The 12 trips combined 339 km, with Bolt narrowly cheaper than Uber X (R25).
| UberX | Bolt | |
| Total price (12 trips) | R3,086 | R3,061 |
Having said this, Uber proved cheaper in six of the trips, while Bolt was cheaper in five, with the pricing the same in one.
This is quite the change as when MyBroadband last compared their pricing in October 2023, Bolt was the cheapest for 11 of the 12 trips and had consistently proven cheaper.
This underscores the evolving nature of the ride-hailing industry in South Africa, where pricing strategies and market dynamics continue to shape the competition between Uber and Bolt for passenger preference.
Tables detailing estimated fares for each trip in the four regions were compiled, illustrating the fluctuating dynamics of ride-hailing costs.
It is important to highlight that while the price per kilometre serves as a useful metric for comparison within a single city, variations in trip distances across different cities can significantly impact overall fares.
Factors such as driver availability, traffic conditions, and travel time also play pivotal roles in determining the final cost of a ride.
Johannesburg and Pretoria
| Route | Distance | UberX | Bolt | Difference |
| Montecasino to Sandton Gautrain Station | 13km | R117 | R102 | R15 |
| Centurion Gautrain Station to Union Buildings Gardens | 15km | R117 | R117 | – |
| Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens to OR Tambo International Airport | 57km | R452 | R363 | R89 |
| Total | 85km | R686 | R582 | R104 |
| Average price per km | R8.07 | R6.85 | R1.22 |
Cape Town
| Route | Distance | UberX | Bolt | Difference |
| V&A Waterfront to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens | 13km | R215 | R141 | R74 |
| Two Oceans Aquarium to Clifton 4th Beach | 9km | R114 | R103 | R11 |
| Cape Town International Airport to Stellenbosch University | 37km | R220 | R272 | R52 |
| Total | 59km | R549 | R516 | R33 |
| Average price per km | R9.30 | R8.74 | R0.56 |
Durban
| Route | Distance | UberX | Bolt | Difference |
| Cubaña Durban to University of KwaZulu-Natal (School of Medicine) | 7.5km | R101 | R91 | R10 |
| Umhlanga Main Beach to Moses Mabhida Stadium | 15km | R137 | R147 | R10 |
| uShaka Marine World to King Shaka International Airport | 34km | R347 | R352 | R5 |
| Total | 56.5km | R585 | R590 | R25 |
| Average price per km | R10.35 | R10.44 |
Gqeberha
| Route | Distance | UberX | Bolt | Difference |
| Baywest Mall to Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | 15km | R141 | R155 | R14 |
| Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve to Radisson Blu Hotel, Port Elizabeth | 45.5km | R428 | R475 | R47 |
| Jeffrey’s Bay Main Beach to Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | 78km | R697 | R743 | R46 |
| Total | 138.5km | R1,266 | R1,373 | R107 |
| Average price per km | R9.14 | R9.91 |
Read: We compared Takealot vs Amazon deliveries – and the winner was a close call
