‘Mortified’ woman accused of urinating in taxi warns others to be careful

Kate Walker, 24, took a five minute Bolt journey (Image: MEN Media) Kate Walker, 24, took a short journey from Manchester Piccadilly station to her flat in Castlefield in the early hours of June 29 after attending a gig in Leeds. Little did she know that this uneventful ride would turn into a nightmare. A few days later, Kate noticed Bolt had attempted to withdraw £66 from her account, instead of the expected £6. Confused, she contacted Bolt to inquire about the charge. She was informed a cleaning fee had been requested because the driver claimed she had urinated and spilled a drink on the back seat. Kate vehemently denied the accusation, stating it was completely false. Kate told the Manchester Evening News: “I was mortified. I couldn’t believe it, I was so annoyed because I just knew that definitely didn’t happen.” She immediately refuted the charge, but was informed by Bolt the driver had provided evidence. Kate was sent a photo of what appeared to be ‘clear’ liquid on a seat, which she claims was different from the one she was sitting in during the journey. The picture Kate was sent as evidence (Image: MEN Media) Determined to clear her name, Kate questioned the authenticity of the photo and whether it could have been fabricated or if there had been a mistake. She insisted she did not have a drink with her in the car and the photo did not resemble someone who had wet themselves. However, Bolt maintained the driver had taken the picture immediately after Kate’s journey and had not picked up any other passengers since. In a series of interactions with the company, Kate pleaded with them to investigate the driver and reconsider the charge. However, Bolt refused to take any action, stating that the money had already been deducted from her account and nothing could be done. This response left Kate feeling frustrated. She said: “The whole time I was speaking to these representatives I was being made to feel like I was just some stupid young woman who had got too drunk. It was a really horrible feeling.” Kate’s interactions with Bolt (Image: MEN Media) It was only after Kate informed Bolt she was speaking to the press about the incident that she was finally refunded. However, she decided to share her story with the Manchester Evening News to raise awareness and caution others about similar situations. “Obviously everyone is feeling the pinch with the cost of living crisis – I know there is desperation out there,” Kate said. “But it’s such an easy way of getting money out of people because some people wouldn’t notice. If I hadn’t had insufficient funds in my account at the time, I wouldn’t have been notified of the charge.” A spokesperson for Bolt responded to the incident, stating: “The significant majority of Bolt journeys take place successfully and without incident. The safety and quality of the Bolt service improves the more feedback we receive – positive and negative – so we encourage everyone to continue to share their experiences through all the available channels. “If a report contains allegations of serious misconduct, our standard practice is to ask both sides for their view of the incident and make a judgment on how best to proceed. For example, if a party is found to be fraudulent, they are removed from the platform. We involve local authorities as appropriate.” This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up Express.co.uk ‘s editorial research. A news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to readercomplaints@reachplc.com .