Bolt, the leading on-demand mobility platform, is expanding its Bolt Send parcel delivery service in Mombasa to include motorbikes, giving individuals and businesses a faster and more flexible way to move small parcels across the city.
The expansion comes as delivery increasingly becomes part of how Kenyan businesses operate. For small retailers, online sellers, restaurants, pharmacies, offices and individuals, the challenge is no longer simply getting a product from one place to another. It is doing so quickly, affordably and with visibility over where the parcel is at every stage of the journey.
Bolt Send was initially introduced in Mombasa using cars earlier in March this year. The addition of motorbikes is intended to address a practical gap in urban delivery where small parcels do not always need a car, but they do need a reliable way to move through the city without adding unnecessary time or cost.
Motorbikes can navigate traffic and access locations more easily than larger vehicles, making them particularly suited to short-distance, time-sensitive deliveries. This gives customers an alternative for moving smaller items without having to rely on informal arrangements, make multiple phone calls or wait for a dedicated courier.
Dimmy Kanyankole, Senior General Manager, Rides, East Africa said: “Delivery has become an increasingly important part of how businesses serve their customers. For a small business, a delayed delivery can mean a delayed sale, a missed customer or an unnecessary operating cost. With Bolt Send on motorbikes, we are making it easier to move smaller parcels around Mombasa using infrastructure that people already know and use.”
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The service is designed for more than traditional courier needs. A retailer can send an order to a customer, a business can move documents between offices, an online seller can fulfil an order without maintaining its own delivery fleet, and an individual can send an item across town without arranging private transport.
Customers can request Bolt Send directly through the Bolt app, receive an upfront price estimate and track the delivery in real time. Parcels are transported by eligible Bolt driver-partners, while the service provides an accessible option for businesses that may not have the volume or resources to operate their own delivery operations.
The shift also reflects a wider change in consumer expectations. As e-commerce and social-commerce businesses grow, delivery is becoming part of the customer experience rather than an afterthought. Businesses increasingly need logistics that can respond to orders as they happen rather than depending solely on scheduled or fixed-route courier services. For Mombasa’s growing ecosystem of small and medium-sized businesses, this can be particularly relevant.
The value of on-demand delivery is not limited to consumers. Maintaining delivery vehicles, employing dedicated riders or outsourcing every delivery to a courier can add significant complexity and cost for businesses. An on-demand model allows businesses to access delivery capacity when they need it, without having to maintain their own fleet.
The motorcycle option also creates another opportunity for Bolt’s driver-partner community to participate in the growing delivery economy, allowing eligible motorcycle partners to earn from parcel deliveries alongside other services available on the platform.
Bolt’s expansion comes as urban logistics in Kenya continues to evolve, with businesses and independent delivery operators increasingly using motorbikes and other smaller vehicles to move goods through busy urban areas. The move is part of Bolt’s broader strategy of using its existing technology and partner network to address everyday mobility and logistics needs.
