Some Kenyans online have been complaining about the cost of a women-only service introduced by taxi-hailing app Bolt.
The company recently introduced the service in Kenya that enables female passengers to request rides from women drivers.
A Kenyan users tweeted about the cost of the service in comparison with other categories.
“Charging more for the same distance because of “safety” is monetizing women’s fears because they are unable to vet & guarantee safety with regular male drivers. Flawed strategy,” tweeted @RamzZy.
Another Twitter user said the service was “horribly sexist”.
Bolt has admitted that the prices appear to be “slightly costly”, saying this is in line with their pricing model.
“In practice, this means that we increase prices when there are more customers than our online drivers can handle,” said Bolt.
The women-only category comes amid cases of harassment and violence against female passengers on public transport.
Last week, the company issued a statement condemning violence on drivers and passengers after an allegation by a rider that she had been assaulted by a driver. It said it was working with the police to “support investigations into the incident”.
The company has, however, said the new service is not linked to the recent allegation, saying it has all along been planning for it.
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