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Leading ride-hailing company in Nigeria, <a href="http://bolt.eu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bolt</a>, has said it will consider an in-app feature that will inform a rider whether the vehicle that will be conveying them is CNG-powered. This was disclosed to Technext by the Regional Manager of North and West Africa, Lola Masha at the launch of the company’s safety summit. 
As the push to convert vehicles from PMS to compressed natural gas (CNG) continues to increase, there are fears among a huge section of Nigerians around the safety of the vehicles when converted from their original modes. Indeed, converted vehicles have been reported to explode at various points. 
Thus, there are serious reservations and real fears many people have about the safety of CNG-powered vehicles. Asked by this reporter if there were plans to indicate to riders on the app that a vehicle about to convey them on a trip is CNG-powered and whether they still want to continue or cancel, Lola Masha admitted that Bolt had not really given it a thought as it was something that should be considered. 
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 Lola Masha
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She, however, acknowledges that the feedback is highly valuable and the company is quite appreciative of it. She also admitted that they do not have all the answers which clearly was why they hold safety summits where they are very open to hearing outside thoughts, ideas and suggestions. And an idea like this one is very important and worth having when it gets to the point. 
“We will take this one back because it is a very fair point that there are still a lot of reservations around CNG; around its safety, infrastructure set-up, conversion and so on. So it is important that riders are fully aware and that we are transparent if and when we do get to that point. We are not there yet, but that is something that we will keep in mind as we think about that part of the conversation,” she said. 
<h4 id="the-tricky-side-of-cng-vehicles-for-e-hailers" class="wp-block-heading">The tricky side of CNG vehicles for e-hailers</h4> 
Following the skyrocketing prices of fuel and petroleum products, Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, launched the presidential CNG initiative a few months ago. The initiative was aimed at helping Nigerians, especially those in the transport sector, to convert their regular vehicles into CNG vehicles. This, it is believed, will reduce the overbearing cost of fuel which currently sells for more than N1,000 per litre. 
One of the major problems arising from this was the cost of conversion which ran into several hundreds of thousands of naira. Such an exorbitant cost, therefore, presents a huge barrier to entry for many vehicle owners who simply could not afford it. 
In response, the government reportedly granted free conversion for transportation unions like the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN). The ride-hailing drivers union, however, were given a 50 per cent discount for conversion, an offer which was not well-received by the union. 
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Whatever the case, CNG conversion presents an interesting opportunity for e-hailing drivers to switch to a cleaner and more importantly, cost-effective source of fuel to power their businesses. While only a few e-hailers have switched presently, it would not be surprising if more follow suit in the coming months as the economy bites harder and financing for conversion becomes more readily available and less difficult to obtain. 
Bolt General Manager for Nigeria, General Manager, Osi Oguah, believes that the company has not yet gotten to that point where it would make a decision on what the user experience in the app will be for CNG-powered rides. 
“We are still collaborating with stakeholders first of all on how to get it to more drivers because we do see the benefits like it is way cheaper to operate and it is way more profitable to drivers. There is just the barrier to entry in terms of the cost of actually purchasing the kits and as well as the infrastructure support. People cannot find CNG stations, it is still not widespread but we are still having this conversation internally to make sure that we can support drivers who want to take this,” he said. 
See also: <a href="https://technext24.com/2024/11/09/bolt-nigeria-block-5000-drivers-in-2023/">Bolt Nigeria blocked 5,000 drivers in 2023, insists on driver score feature despite AUATON’s demand</a>
The post <a href="https://technext24.com/2024/11/11/bolt-feature-tells-rider-cng-powered-car/">CNG: Bolt is considering a feature that tells riders if a car is CNG-powered</a> first appeared on <a href="https://technext24.com">Technext</a>.

CNG: Bolt is considering a feature that tells riders if a car is CNG-powered

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