Plataforma per la Llengua has managed to get the mobility services company Bolt to include Catalan on its website and become the first in the sector to have both its app and its website in Catalan, ahead of Uber, Cabify, Moovit and FreeNow. The organisation welcomes this progress, which it has been working to achieve for more than a year, and encourages the other companies in the sector to follow in Bolt's footsteps by taking into account that including the language is an essential quality mark for providing a proper service for Catalan-speaking users - members of a community of more than ten million people.
The organisation for the protection of Catalan began working to include the language in Bolt in 2023, as part of a campaign to improve the presence of Catalan in strategic sectors. When Bolt contacted them in February 2024, more than a year ago, they told them it was important to include the language on their website, as the Bolt app was already in Catalan. Although this is not a legal obligation, the organisation saw it as a way for Bolt to show that it was taking the Catalan-speaking community into account - an essential element for a quality service and a way to distinguish itself from the competition. At that time, Uber, the leading company in the sector, had just included Catalan in the Uber and Uber Eats apps.
Plataforma per la Llengua is delighted that the helpful conversations with Bolt have come to a successful conclusion and is grateful to the company for its unreserved willingness to resolve the issue. Now in Spain both its app and its website can be consulted in Catalan. The Spanish version of the website can also be consulted in English and Spanish and the app is available in 36 languages. Plataforma per la Llengua would still like to see Catalan included in the geolocalised version of the website in France and Italy (and Andorra if there is one there). It is also waiting to see whether Bolt takes the language into account in the Bolt Food application if that ever goes live in Catalan-speaking territories.
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Catalan at VFH companies
Bolt is the only company in the vehicle for hire (VFH) that has both its website and application in Catalan. Uber, the market leader, took a great leap forward by including Catalan in its app in February 2024, but there has been no progress on the Catalan version of the website. As for Moovit and FreeNow, both have their apps in Catalan but not their websites. Cabify does not have either in Catalan. The organisation is calling on all these companies to take note of what Bolt has done and incorporate Catalan everywhere. So far, of all the companies, Cabify has been the most resistant to Plataforma per la Llengua's requests, refusing to attend to them or even to reply.
Meanwhile, Catalonia was close to making a historic change in users' language rights when a new law on taxis and VFH that would have established a language requirement for drivers was about to be approved while Pere Aragonès was prime minister. When the procedure to pass the law is resumed, Plataforma per la Llengua will follow it closely to see that Catalan is actually made a requirement. At the same time, it will support companies and drivers in adapting to the regulations. The organisation will also press the authorities to provide the resources required to ensure drivers can learn Catalan.
