Bolt Hosts the First Azerbaijan Safety Conference in Baku Ahead of WUF 2026 - FOTO
Bolt organized the first Azerbaijan Safety Conference at Sea Breeze Resort in Baku.
The event brought together representatives of government institutions, including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, the Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency (AYNA), AZCON, the Ministry of Economy, and the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBIA), as well as driver partners and students to discuss road safety and the development of safety standards.
The main goal of the conference was to increase awareness around road safety in Azerbaijan, strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors, and contribute to the development of safe mobility standards. The event was moderated by Bolt Regional Public Policy Manager Yuliia Malich and Bolt for Business General Manager Salman Babazade.
During the opening remarks, Bolt Director of Public Policy Tom Tuxworth spoke about the company’s safety and compliance initiatives.
In his speech, Tom Tuxworth also highlighted safety solutions implemented in Azerbaijan. He noted that every Bolt trip begins with driver selfie verification, all trips are tracked in real time, and both drivers and passengers have access to an in-app SOS feature.
According to Bolt, 99.9% of trips on the platform are completed without any reported safety incidents. The company also noted growing adoption of in-app safety features. Currently, nearly half of passengers use the trip-sharing feature, more than 400,000 users have activated the “trusted contacts” feature, and the use of audio trip recording has increased by more than 40%.
President of the Azerbaijan National Automobile Club (AMAK), Vusal Rajabli, highlighted the importance of building a road safety culture, responsible driver behavior, and public awareness.
AZCON System Director Samir Aliyev also spoke at the event, discussing existing challenges in road safety and the everyday issues faced by drivers.
As part of the event, a session titled “Safety Across Global Platforms” was held. The discussion featured Bolt representative Katherine Mercer, woman driver Gulnaz Kazimzade, AmCham Supply Chain Committee Vice Chair Maarifa Pashayeva, and AMAK Director Vusal Rajabli.
During her speech, Maarifa Pashayeva also presented Bolt’s “Guardian” safety solution introduced in Azerbaijan. As part of this service, passengers can share a 360-degree live video of their trip with trusted contacts in real time. A dedicated safety team monitors trips and responds in emergency situations.
During the conference, the signing of a memorandum between Bolt Azerbaijan General Manager Ilkin Zeynalli and Sabah.Hub Innovation Center Board Member Orkhan Abbasov was also announced. The partnership aims to implement joint initiatives in innovation, education, and safety.
During the conference, Bolt Academy recognized the most professional and safest driver partners of 2025. In addition, students who actively participated in the road safety competition received certificates and gifts.
