December the 19th, 2025 – Concerning allegations surrounding a popular taxi ordering app have been doing the rounds recently. Might you have to pay more for a Croatian speaking taxi driver?

As Index vijesti/news writes, users of the popular Bolt app in Croatia have been greeted by a new, somewhat bizarre option when ordering taxis, and it has appeared very recently. The popular taxi ordering platform has introduced the option for users to choose to have a Croatian speaking taxi driver, but this service allegedly comes at a significantly higher price.

This new option has rather understandably resulted in sheer astonishment and all kinds of comments on social media, with many initially even assuming it was a mistake or a simple joke. However, the “Croatian speaker” option does actually exist within the Bolt app. It doesn’t have the usual discounts attached to it, which would mean that opting for a Croatian-speaking taxi driver can end up costing you quite a bit more depending on the situation.

For shorter rides of ten euros, the option with a Croatian speaking taxi driver is, for some unknown reason, 3 to 5 euros more expensive. However, on some longer routes, for example from the city centre to Zagreb Airport, the price that the Bolt app throws out is the same for a regular ride as it is for one with a Croatian speaker.

Like most debates, this one has naturally primarily taken place on Reddit, where users have also expressed their dissatisfaction. “I can’t believe I have to choose between speaking English or my native language in my own country. It’s all gone to hell,” wrote one user.

Another added that the drivers were initially happy, but they soon realised that the new option actually had no financial benefits for them. “You’d think that knowing Croatian in Croatia would be a plus, but apparently not,” one user concluded.

Index sent Bolt a query about the reasons for introducing this extremely strange option, whether there is a similar practice in other countries, and why driving with a driver who speaks Croatian in Croatia is generally more expensive. They’re yet to receive a response.


 


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