Up for a discounted ride on election day? Here’s how much you could save

E-hailing services Uber, Bolt and DiDi are offering discounted rides for consumers who will be heading to voting stations on Monday.

RIDING BOLT? HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Gareth Taylor, regional manager for Bolt in Southern Africa, told TimesLIVE the service will offer R30 per trip discount for two trips. 

“While polling stations are usually within easy reach for most voters, they are still far to walk to, particularly if the voter has a young child they’re caring for, or if they’re elderly. 

“While other modes of transportation don’t offer door-to-door rides, we’d like to help South Africans who have limited options of getting to their local polling station, to be able to cast their vote in SA’s sixth municipal elections,” said Taylor. 

Discounted rides will not affect drivers' salaries for the trips made using the unique Local Government Election discount code. 

What code do I use? 

Enter the “BoltVoteSafe” code when requesting the ride. 

RIDING UBER? HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Busisiwe Khaba, head of public policy at Uber, said in a statement the service partnered with the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) to help as many South Africans as possible get to the polls safely and conveniently.

The service will offer up to R35 off each on two rides to and from voting stations across SA.

“Eligible voters have the right to vote and we wanted to ensure that voters have ease of travel to make their mark. Local government elections are a crucial part of communities and the lives of citizens.

“Election day is an important day in the country and using our technology and resources, we can help make it easier for every rider using the Uber App in SA to get to their voting station at the push of a button,” said Khaba.

What code do I use? 

Riders can claim the offer by entering the code “VOTESA21" from the menu option of the Uber app. 

RIDING DiDi? HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The newest e-hailing service, DiDi will offer first-time riders up to 50% off their rides for customers who will be travelling to and from voting stations in Gqeberha, Cape Town, and Gauteng using the election promo codes. 

What code do I use? 

• SAElectionsPE21
• SAElectionsCPT21 
• SAElectionsGP21

“The objective is to encourage all South Africans to exercise their right to vote. Mobility should be accessible to everyone and our aim is to ensure that we support South Africans to be able to travel to the voting stations.

“With this initiative, DiDi would like to empower SA citizens to have a voice by allowing first-time riders to gain 50% off their trips to the election stations. DiDi supports locals by equipping them with the resources needed to travel freely, safely, and affordably,” said Carina Smith-Allin on behalf of the company in Sub-Saharan Africa.