November 21, 2022 - After a brief period when they were available to the citizens of Varaždin, Bolt's electric scooters will soon be withdrawn from the streets.

Europe's leading on-demand transportation platform - Bolt Electric Scooters has informed the town of Varaždin that it is withdrawing e-scooters from the streets of Varaždin. Recent amendments to the Law on Road Traffic Safety stipulate the mandatory wearing of helmets for all scooter drivers, which greatly changes the way the scooter rental service is carried out, as well as their use in traffic. "Unfortunately, due to the new global situation and economic circumstances in terms of costs, as well as the upcoming winter period, the company Bolt is forced to suspend the service of renting e-scooters in Varaždin. We hope that in the near future we will have the opportunity again, in cooperation with you, to consider the re-introduction of Bolt e-scooters on the streets of Varaždin - the notice sent to the town states, thanking the administration for their support in the "successful implementation of the pilot project".

The Mayor of Varaždin, Neven Bosilj told Večernji list that he believed that the citizens got used to Bolt e-scooters and that they found them quite practical to use. However, he added, it is obvious that the new law and the mandatory wearing of a helmet require some necessary changes to how the project is to be executed. This certainly brings additional costs to the Bolt company and the profitability becomes questionable for them. However, he believes that the safety of the citizens using the e-scooters must be everyone's number one priority, and without the use of a helmet, that segment cannot be satisfied.

January 16, 2021 - Bolt, one of the leading European platforms for on-demand transport services, presented a semi-annual pilot project for renting electric scooters in Rijeka in partnership with the City of Rijeka.

HRTurizam reports that as of January 15, an electric scooter can be unlocked in one of the 10 locations in the city center via Bolt's mobile application in Rijeka, and a scooter model designed and manufactured inside Bolt will be used. The scooter's speed is up to 20 km / h, and in certain select areas, such as the Promenade and part of the Riva, the speed is limited to 10 km / h.

Tomislav Lukačević, director of Bolt in Croatia, said their mission was to enable people to move around the city faster and easier.

“Avoiding crowds, especially during the summer season, is a big problem in cities like Rijeka. We noticed that we have many rides in Rijeka up to 3 kilometers, which makes it an ideal city for scooter travel. In this way, we solve two problems: we reduce the number of car rides and save our users time and money."

"Bolt globally has big plans in terms of micro-mobility with an investment of over 150 million euro in the coming period, which includes a plan to introduce electric scooter rental services in over 100 cities across Europe. We believe that the pilot project will show all the advantages of this mode of transport. Other cities will recognize it and cooperate with us to introduce this modern and environmentally conscious service. Thank you to the City of Rijeka for recognizing the value of this project and giving its full support," commented Ivan Begović, operational manager for scooters in Bolt Croatia.

To begin with, 200 scooters will be deployed in the center of Rijeka at 10 locations, traffic hotspots, and frequent locations such as Sušak Bridge, Fiumara Bus Station, Adriatic Square, Žabica, Railway Station, HNK Rijeka, Rijeka Department Store, Mladosti Hall, IGK Student Campus, and the University Campus. Each scooter comes with a built-in GPS device that will provide insight into their pick-up and drop-off locations and is unlocked by scanning the QR code via the app.

During the promotional period, unlocking the scooter will be free, while the price of use will be 75 lipa per minute of driving.

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April 3, 2020 - Every crisis is also an opportunity. Thus, Europe's leading on-demand transportation platform saw its opportunity to introduce a new service - Bolt Delivery.

HRTurizam writes that Bolt launched a new service in Croatia, Bolt Delivery, which is a new delivery service in Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek, Zadar and Dubrovnik.

Bolt Delivery is ideal for shipments that need to be delivered on the same day, and even within just one hour, such as clothing, books, home supplies, game consoles, documents, and whatever you need to send.

Shipments should be lighter than 20 kg and within the given dimensions up to a maximum of 65x55x40 cm. For security, the service will be available only to those who have a valid bank card in their application because cash payment will not be possible. The minimum delivery cost is 20 kuna for all cities.

“On the one hand, we will take advantage of existing technology and a large network of Bolt drivers across Croatia and enable users to stay safe inside their home, at a time when the majority of the population is forced to do so. And on the other hand, we launched the Bolt Delivery service to provide our drivers with the best support, safe work, and an opportunity to generate revenue with their experience and efficiency in business and logistics. In addition to this service, we plan to introduce new delivery services that will also help business customers,” said Tomislav Lukačević, Operations Manager at Bolt, Croatia.

"To use the service, change your payment method to in-app payment, select the Delivery ride-type in the Bolt app, give the driver your package and the recipient's phone number. Easy!

You can share the delivery information with the recipient using the Share Trip feature inside the app.

The dimensions of your parcel should fall within 65 x 55 x 40cm. If you need to deliver larger packages, please notify the driver in advance," writes Bolt in its press release. 

Using the existing application, the delivery option offers the opportunity for private and business users to send what they need to their friends, family or business colleagues and associates during this time of limited mobility. 

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February 26, 2020 - Over the last few days, we’ve seen a steady increase of Bolt electric scooters popping up in various locations around Split. So, what’s the deal?

Dalmatinski Portal writes that a new service from Europe's leading on-demand transportation platform - Bolt Electric Scooters - was unveiled today in Split. Ivan Begovic, a specialist in operations at Bolt, spoke about the new service.

“One of our initiatives is the 'Green Plan', which aims to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and part of the project is the introduction of electric scooters in cities. So far, we have marketed these scooters in Madrid, Malaga, Faro, Tallinn and others, and we are trying to expand the number of cities. We are glad that Split is the first in Southeast Europe to receive this type of service. This would not have been possible without the cooperation with the City of Split, who allowed us to present this new service to you,” said Begovic, who then explained what kind of permit they had received from the City.

“We have a license from the City to test the vehicles, which is still valid today, and we will arrange further steps with the City to provide our service to the citizens of Split. The scooters will not be rented unless the City agrees. We have the right to have them today because they are legally considered pedestrians,” he added.

The option of renting and driving the e-scooters is already available to the citizens within the existing Bolt app. Unlocking the scooter costs 4 kuna, and each minute of use is 1 kuna and 30 lipa. Users can unlock the service free during the test period. Electric scooters are placed in specially designated locations within the city, and must not be left within protected areas and the old city center.

"The electric scooters drive at 20 kilometers per hour, and in certain locations such as Diocletian's Palace, the speeds are limited. The Palace itself is an area where we have banned the use of electric scooters, and if used, there is a fine of HRK 300. The application will automatically fine you if you violate the movement in the restricted areas. We cannot prohibit users from bringing scooters to zones, but they can only be pushed in the area. Namely, in these zones you can drive it exclusively as a normal car. We encourage drivers to behave responsibly on the road, obey traffic rules and pay attention to the safety of the environment in which they are moving,” Ivan said, revealing locations where the cars are currently available.

“For now, the scooters are located at Matejuška, at the beginning of the Riva (bottom of the Pazar) and near Stari Plac. These are the locations for now. The electric scooters will be assembled, taken out for service and refueled in the evening to be ready for use the next day,” he concluded.

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