Ride-hailing app Bolt records spike in hospital trips amid Tube strikes

Londoners’ use of taxi apps to take them to hospitals has spiked this week as Tube strikes paralysed public transport in the city, new data reveals.

Ride-hailing firm Bolt said the number of trips booked through the platform more than doubled on Monday to Wednesday.

Journeys to central London’s Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital spiked by 118% compared with the same period last week.

And trips to Royal London Hospital, which is home to one of the largest children’s hospitals in the UK, and St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington both doubled week-on-week.

Public transport across the capital city has been crippled with parts of the London Underground grinding to a halt during significant strike action.

Thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) have walked out in a dispute over pay and working hours.

Kimberly Hurd, Bolt’s senior general manager for the UK, said the data shows “how critical ride-hailing has become for people needing to access healthcare, especially when public transport is disrupted”.

The European transport app, which rivals Uber and offers services including rides and e-bikes, said it had seen a steady increase in people booking trips to hospitals over recent years.

It announced the launch of its new “Bolt Assist” category on Thursday, designed to help older adults and people with injuries, mobility, visual or hearing impairments get around.

Bolt said the feature has been developed in partnership with Disability Rights UK, with guidance for its drivers to assist passengers from their door to the car – including those with wheelchairs, walkers, or collapsible scooters.

Ms Hurd said the feature, which will be the same price as standard rides, “will help make transport more inclusive, particularly during a time when it’s harder to get around”.