Tag: Ola

Get a Hand On Experience Of the OnePlus 2 Using Your Ola App

Ola has announced its exclusive partnership with OnePlus 2 today. This initiative will be available on the Ola app across 5 cities, that include – Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata.

This partnership means, that all Ola users can request for a free OnePLus 2 experience at their doorstep, by clicking on the OnePlus 2 icon that will be live on the Ola app. Users can use this app to get OnePlus invites and freebies and a few lucky ones will also stand a chance to win the OnePLus 2 invites.

“This is the first time ever, that an on-demand platform in the country is bringing an exclusive experience for its users, with the new OnePlus 2. Users can request a OnePlus 2 experience at their doorstep within minutes, straight from their Ola app, with the same ease of booking a cab with one touch. We are excited about this partnership and look forward to our users experiencing the OnePlus 2 before anyone else does in the country.” – Sudarshan Gangrade, Vice-President – Marketing at Ola

This is not the first time that Ola has come up with innovative ways to engage with customers – just recently they went app-only and thereby increased their customer base. However, the app-only system is debatable, but this new collaboration seems like it could definitely help Ola expand their reach.

This initiative will be available on the 17th and 18th of August 2015 in Bengaluru and Chennai, 21st and 22nd in Mumbai and 25th and 26th in Kolkata and Delhi. So watch this space and mark your calendar.

August 11, 2015
Ola Will Counter Uber by Launching its Own Courier Service in India

It seems Ola is bent on conquering the Indian market before its rival Uber does. After venturing into food delivery service and groceries, the company now wants to get into logistics services. According to a report, Ola has started testing a delivery service along the lines of UberRUSH, Uber’s courier service. The service will reportedly launch by mid-July.

As reported, the service will deliver shopping orders at the customer’s doorstep within three hours. Apart from that, customers can also use Ola app for various purposes, from sending parcels to picking up laundry. Ola is said to have tied up with several businesses including florists, bakeries, laundries and ice-cream parlors. Moreover, apart from cabs, the deliveries will also be carried out on motorbikes and bicycles.

It will be interesting to see how Ola’s new move will disrupt the traditional logistics service. Ola already operates more than 18000 taxis across India, and if the company adds bicycles and motorbikes for its delivery service, it could become one of the most efficient logistics services in the country. It will be a matter of concern for major logistic providers such as BlueDart and DTDC if Ola decides to foray into shipping services. So far, there is no mention of such intentions by Ola.

Ola is probably playing it smarter by launching a service similar to Uber’s courier service before Uber does it. If the move is successful, Ola might achieve the same level of success that Uber has achieved in the US.

Source : [tw-button size=”small” background=”” color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.bgr.in/news/ola-to-launch-an-uberrush-like-courier-service-in-india-report/”]BGR[/tw-button] [tw-button size=”small” background=”” color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/ola-set-to-do-a-uber-in-india-with-collection-and-delivery-service/article7367614.ece”]The Hindu Business Line[/tw-button]

July 1, 2015
Cash Payment In Uber Cabs Rolls Out For Some Users In Hyderabad

India is a country where more than half of its population still pay their daily expenses using direct cash rather than through credit cards. It is due to this fact alone that Uber is lagging behind Ola Cabs, which holds on to about 80% of the organised cab market here. But, this scenario may change soon enough for Uber, keeping in mind the fact that the taxi company is now conducting an experimental test in the city of Hyderabad that will soon enable riders to pay drivers directly in cash after their taxi ride

Uber users just have to open the app, go to payment options and select cash as the payment option. This will enable the user to pay the cash directly after the ride. But, this option won’t be available for everyone for now as this phase has just been rolled out. The company said the cash option will be accessible to everyone in Hyderabad within a week’s time. Minimum pay balance in the user’s PayTm wallet will not be necessary, and there would be no booking fee or additional charges to riders.

Uber said that if the cash payment system works out well in Hyderabad, other cities in India will soon be able to do the same in the coming few months. Last month, following a similar scheme, Uber had launched UberAuto, an auto hauling service that accepts cash payments.

May 12, 2015
Delhi Government Asks IT Ministry to Block Uber, Meru Genie and Ola Mobile Apps

The app-based taxi services have made it possible for us to travel with ease. What more can one expect than a car waiting at your doorstep? But the question still hovers around their registration issues.

Recent news points out that the Union Information Technology Ministry has been asked by the Delhi Government to block the mobile applications of Ola, Uber and Meru Genie taxi-hailing companies. That means soon these taxi service providers are going to cease their operations, unless they receive their licence in time.

This nationwide ban was issued for all unregistered web-based taxi companies in December last year because of a knee-jerk reaction to the rape of a female in the capital by a Uber driver. In spite of this ban, Uber the US-based taxi service company brought out UberX, a low-cost option with a new revised fare charts to operate in January. Ola, backed by Japan’s SoftBank Corp also applied for a radio taxi license, and they continued to contravene the December order.

As of now, license has been provided to Easy Cab, Yo Cab, Mega Cab, Meru Cab, Chanson Cab and Air Cab by the Delhi Transport Authority.

The government opines that they are not against these public convenient services. But they’d like them to follow proper guidelines by installing a GPS tracking system and an emergency button in the cabs for the sake of their smooth operation.

By Ritam Talukdar

March 25, 2015