Bolt promo code 2026: what VTC drivers and restaurant partners need to know

Bolt is an Estonian mobility platform founded in Tallinn in 2013 and operating in France since 2019. Its two main French services are ride-hailing (VTC, vehicule de tourisme avec chauffeur) and food delivery under the Bolt Food brand. Bolt also operated electric scooter rentals but the free-floating service was discontinued in Paris in September 2023; current availability in other cities should be verified locally. It competes primarily with Uber and, for ride-hailing specifically, with the French platform Heetch.

Searches for a "Bolt promo code" come from two very different audiences. The first is a passenger looking for a discount on a single trip. The second, often a VTC driver, a self-employed micro-entrepreneur, or a restaurant partner, is trying to understand how to operate sustainably on the platform. This guide is useful for both, but the analysis that follows is deliberately weighted towards the second.

Bolt regularly runs promotional campaigns offering discounts to new users. When you create a new account in the Bolt app, a promo code field allows you to enter a code that unlocks a discount on your first ride or first Bolt Food order. Codes are also distributed through partner websites, newsletters, and comparison platforms.

We do not publish specific promo codes in this article. Codes change regularly, vary by city and service type, and expire. To find a valid code, check the official Bolt app directly or visit bolt.eu.

Bolt VTC operates as a two-sided marketplace connecting passengers with licensed independent drivers or approved VTC companies. The passenger books via the app, the platform calculates an estimated fare, a driver accepts the trip, and payment is processed automatically.

The perceived difference for regular users tends to be on base fares: Bolt positions itself as more competitive than Uber on many non-peak time slots.

1. Obtain the VTC professional licence issued by the French Ministry of Transport.
2. Choose your legal structure: micro-entrepreneur, SASU, SARL, or individual business under the standard regime (reel).
3. Register your vehicle as a VTC, with the required professional insurance policies in place.
4. Create your driver account on Bolt's platform, providing the required regulatory documents.
5. Set up your accounting from day one: open a dedicated business bank account, start tracking income and expenses from the first week.

Revenue earned by a VTC driver through Bolt constitutes independent professional income, taxable under the BIC category (benefices industriels et commerciaux, industrial and commercial profits) in France.

Since the transposition of the DAC7 directive into French law, digital platforms including Bolt are required to automatically report to the French tax authority (DGFiP) the amounts paid to professional users resident in France. The amount to declare is your gross revenue, the full fare billed to the passenger before Bolt deducts its commission.

The core trade-off: micro-BIC is attractive for its administrative simplicity, but it penalises drivers with high real costs. As soon as your actual expenses exceed 50% of your gross revenue, the reel simplifie regime becomes more financially advantageous.

Bolt Food is the platform's food delivery arm. A restaurant that signs a Bolt Food partnership agreement gains access to the platform's user base in exchange for a commission on each delivered order.

Key accounting and tax points: the platform commission is a tax-deductible expense; VAT on delivered meal orders is subject to standard French food service VAT rates (5.5% basic food, 10% takeaway/delivered, verify your specific situation); the Bolt commission itself is a business service subject to 20% VAT.

Distinguish: gross revenue (full amount billed to customer), platform commission (deductible expense in account 622), and bank transfers received (net after commission). Recording only the transfer amount as revenue is a common mistake that under-declares income and distorts VAT reporting.

The DAC7 directive (EU Directive 2021/514) was transposed into French law by ordonnance n 2023-1188 of 13 December 2023. The reporting obligation covers revenues earned from 1 January 2023 onwards, with the first transmission to the French tax authority taking place in January 2024. Bolt and other digital platforms are required to report annually to national tax authorities the revenues paid to professional users above certain thresholds.

The tax authority receives this data before you file your income tax return. Omitting or under-declaring Bolt income carries a higher detection risk than before DAC7 was in place.

• Maintain a dedicated professional bank account for your Bolt activity.
• Track your revenue week by week.
• Set aside social security contributions (URSSAF) and income tax provisions each month.
• Plan for slow periods: school holidays, adverse weather, and local events affect ride volumes.

This article is intended for general information purposes. It does not replace a personalised analysis by a qualified accountant. Tax thresholds and social security rules change: always verify current figures on impots.gouv.fr and urssaf.fr.