Bhubaneswar is a rapidly growing IT hub. The World Bank ranks it as one of the best places to do business in India. A large number of people come into the city for business and tourism throughout the year and there is a growing need for a reliable, efficient and transparent mode of travel within the city. Ola aims to cater to this need, by working with driver entrepreneurs in the city and getting them on the robust Ola technology platform. Commuters can book a cab 24×7 through the app from the comfort of their home.
Ola has also taken industry-leading initiatives to ensure safety and security of passengers. After booking,details like the cab driver’s name & phone number are immediately shared with the customer. The user can also share a link over SMS with friends and family,for them to track the location of the cab in real-time. Ola will deliver convenient and reliable transportation by working with licensed and verified drivers in the city.Ola has recently earmarked a $ 20mn fund for safety and security initiatives.
Piyush Gupta, Senior Manager, New Initiatives at Ola said, “We are excited to launch the Ola app in Orissa, with Bhubaneswaras our first city in the state. A major chunk of the working population in the city belong to the IT and business sector who have come to expect a reliable and convenient way to travel in the city. Ola’s mission is to create a reliable, efficient and seamless transportation across all cities in India. We are confident about revolutionizing the personal transportation experience for customers and driver partners in the city of Bhubaneswar.”
Apart from a host of security features such as live GPS tracking, continuous driver verification & training, Ola has recently introduced an SOS button in the APP. Users can set their emergency contact’s name, contact number and email id on the app. The set email and mobile number would require verification by the contact, after which this feature shall be activated. The SOS feature can be used while the ride is in progress and on activation, an alert is sent to the verified emergency contact with the customer’s CRN, user details (name, email id and contact number), location where the alert was raised, cab and driver details. Customers can also opt-in to always share ride details with their loved ones proactively, without having to do so every time they take a ride. All of these features in addition to the existing security features make for a safe experience in every ride.
Plans for Bhubaneswar
Ola has over 250cabs signed up in Bhubaneswar and plans to increase the number of cabs on its platform to 750 within the next 6 months. In order to encourage micro-entrepreneurship among drivers,Ola has tied up with car manufacturers like Tata, Ford, Mahindra, Maruti and Nissan to help drivers buy cars from them directly at discounts of up to Rs. 1,00,000. Ola has also tied up with financial institutions to ensure that drivers are able to procure loans for buying their own cars easily. Ola’s technology platform along with these driver initiatives have opened up a lucrative means of earning a livelihood for many drivers across India. Ola plans to extend the same benefits to its driver partners in Bhubaneswar as well.
Olamakesa sizeable difference to the revenues earned by cab owners and operators by improving efficiency, optimizing cab inventory and reducing idle time.Ola also conducts regular car audits, driver training and sensitization sessions to ensure standardized service delivery and customer experience.
Ola’s mobile app
The Ola mobile app is the first of its kind that lets users book a cab with one touch. The mobile app, which is available on Android, iOS and Windows, shows the available cabs nearby and the ETA of the closest cab. On booking, customers get a confirmation in real-time along with booking details like the driver’s name, number, car make and vehicle number. The app also tracks and shows the movement of the cab to the customer’s pickup location on a map in real time. These features aim to make city travel safe, convenient and reliable. The recent update also brings the option of cashless payments for customers by recharging through a prepaid wallet.