Demand for taxi rides in the capital rises during prolonged air raid alerts, with the Bolt ride-hailing app reporting an average citywide increase of 30-50% compared with normal levels.
Bolt's general manager for Ukraine, Serhiy Pavlyk, told Interfax-Ukraine in response to a request that in high-traffic areas — such as near the railway station, major business centers and residential complexes — demand can rise by more than 100%. This leads to situations where the number of customers simultaneously requesting rides exceeds the number of available drivers.
Uklon's chief ride-hailing officer, Olena Orlova, also confirmed to the agency a drop in the number of drivers who could potentially accept rides during alerts.
The companies attribute this to safety risks, malfunctioning GPS navigation, or difficult traffic conditions across the city.
At the same time, Uklon added that despite the increased demand, the number of completed rides during peak periods of air raid alerts can decline somewhat.
Orlova said that to balance supply and demand under difficult conditions, the company relies on a dynamic pricing algorithm that offers a price at which a driver will agree to accept the ride.
"During transport disruptions, dynamic pricing becomes an especially necessary tool for keeping the service running, making it possible to get home when other options aren't available," Uklon's chief ride-hailing officer said.
Bolt also confirmed it uses dynamic pricing, applied within a specific district rather than across the whole city, in order to attract more drivers and keep them online during periods of high demand.
"The longer an alert lasts, the more the number of active drivers can shrink, and accordingly, the cost of a ride in certain districts can rise," Pavlyk said.
According to Bolt, depending on the duration and severity of air raid alerts and the time of day, prices for rides in different locations and ride categories can vary, but once the balance between supply and demand is restored, the price automatically decreases.
Pavlyk separately said that average ride duration and car wait times can increase somewhat during alerts, though these figures do not rise in direct proportion to the length of the alert and can also vary depending on the district.
Uklon's monthly active digital user count grew 8.2% year-on-year in the second quarter of this year compared with April-June 2025, to 5.2 million.
Uklon's services available to users include ride-hailing, Uklon Delivery, the Uklon Ads advertising platform, the Uklon Store marketplace, and the Uklon Travel bus ticket purchasing service.
Bolt provides shared mobility services covering ride-hailing, e-scooter and e-bike rentals, car rentals, corporate rides, and food and grocery delivery through Bolt Food.
The company operates in more than 50 countries across Europe and Africa.
