Online transportation platform, Taxify, has rebranded by changing its name to Bolt and introducing a new logo.
The company, in a statement on Thursday, said the update brought the brand identity in line with the company’s broader vision of transportation that had already expanded from ride-hailing, with cars and motorbikes, to scooter sharing.
The Chief Executive Officer/co-founder, Bolt, Markus Villig, said Taxify launched five years ago with a mission to make urban transportation more convenient and affordable.
He stated that the first product was a taxi dispatch solution that gave the company its original name, adding that the company had evolved in leaps and bounds since its inception to now serve 25 million customers in over 30 countries globally, making it a leader in Europe and Africa.
Speaking on why the company chose to make the change, Villig said “While we’ve made progress on our mission, we’ve also started to outgrow parts of our brand, including the name.
“Given our ambition to solve transportation problems on an increasingly broader scale, we want the brand to reflect the company’s future rather than the past. Our new name ‘Bolt’ stands for fast, effortless movement – exactly what the experience of getting around in a city should be, be it by car, scooter or public transport.
The Regional Manager for West Africa, Bolt, Uche Okafor, explained that the rebranding also underscored the company’s belief that the future of transportation will be electric.
He said, “The new brand will be gradually rolled out across Bolt’s global markets over the following weeks. Bolt users will not need to take any action as the app will update automatically.”