Publications
Partners
- Bolt has launched a new ride category that allows for trips in the Bajaj Qute.
- The Bajaj Qute is a quadricycle that costs under R200 to fill up a tank of petrol.
- Bolt trips in the Bajaj Qute are currently available in a few areas of Johannesburg, but a wider rollout is expected.
- For more stories, visit the Tech and Trends homepage.
“This is my Porsche,” said Norman Moremi, a Bolt driver of the Bajaj Qute he recently started using to transport passengers.
The Baja Qute is technically not a car. It’s legally classified as a compact quadricycle. Moremi said he has been able to take it up to a top speed of 70km/h.
Takura Malaba, a Bolt regional manager in East and Southern Africa confirmed that the Bolt Lite category, which exclusively allows for transport in the Bajaj Qute, launched in a few areas of Johannesburg on 24 July 2023.
Malaba said Bolt wanted to introduce a lower-cost ride option, which is available for short trips.
“Firstly, we wanted to continue to make ride-hailing services accessible and affordable for shorter trips for our passenger community.”
News24 had a look at the prices for Bajaj Qute trips in the area and found that it was comfortably the cheapest option on the platform.
We punched in five random routes around the areas where the Bajaj Qute is operating and found that the "Bolt Lite" category was between 16% and 18% cheaper than the next cheapest ride option, the "Go Hatch" ride option.
But there is a constraint, as currently, only one passenger is allowed per trip, confirmed Malaba. A News24 reporter sat in the front passenger seat of a Bajaj Qute and can confirm that it is a snug fit.
The vehicle is capable of carrying more people, but Malaba said one of the motivations for only allowing one person per trip is that the fuel efficiency decreases when there is more than one passenger in the Bajaj Qute.
The vehicle has an 8-litre fuel tank, meaning at current fuel prices, a tank of petrol would cost around R180.
Passengers with lots of luggage should consider their choices before riding in the Bajaj Qute, as luggage will likely have to be placed in the back seat. There is a boot in the front of the car, but it is not very spacious.
The Bajaj Qute has a 216cc four-stroke, single-cylinder engine that is mounted in the back of the vehicle. After opening the hatch to reveal the engine, Moremi said “this is for a motorbike”.
Trips in the Bajaj Qute through Bolt are currently possible in Randburg, Parktown, Melville, Linden, Braamfontein, and Rosebank.
“We will continue to assess the performance of this category before further expanding into other parts of Johannesburg,” said Malaba, adding that the geographic footprint of the category will be refined over time.
A busy start
Orange Bajaj Qute cars have been visible across the areas where they were launched over the last few weeks.
Moremi said he has been working non-stop since he started driving a quadricycle for Bolt a little over a week ago.
When News24 spoke to him, Moremi was briefly stopped for a rest at the side of the road and at least 10 people stopped to ask him about the car.
We had a look at the Bolt app and at multiple points, the Bolt Lite ride option was not available as the cars were in use.
Cost to drivers
Moremi said he acquired the car through a rent-to-own deal, where a weekly fee is taken out of his earnings on the platform to use the car.
Malaba confirmed that the cars are available through the MyNextCar fleet, a Bolt initiative that offers a financing solution for drivers to get access to vehicles.
The application portal to become a driver shows that R1 495 per week will be charged as part of the MyNextCar initiative for a 2023 Bajaj Qute.
The vehicle is listed for R85 000 on the Bajaj Qute website.
