Tag: Ola

‘Peeke Mat Chala’ Ola

MUMBAI: With an aim to spread safety awareness against drinking and driving, Ola had partnered with All India Bakchod and released a new campaign video. The video couldn’t have hit the Internet at a more apt time, with end-of-year celebrations just a week away.

The campaign was flagged off on Christmas Day with a series of “drunk” tweets on Ola’s twitter handle. The aim was highlight the dangers of drunk driving through drunk tweets.

This was followed by a video by AIB in association with Ola on how best to welcome 2017. The video features a group of friends at a New Years Eve party when one of them announces he’s leaving. Once they realize he plans to drive, they try to stop him, convincing him to book an Ola if he wants to live to see 2017. In reply, he says 2016 was the worst time, what’s to say 2017 will be any better? The rest of the video features a song recounting everything that happened in 2016 and why 2017 will be much better. The friend is convinced and books an Ola home.

Ola CMO Raghuvesh Sarup said, “This holiday season, we at Ola encourage party-goers to take an Ola instead of driving. Ola’s #Peekematchala campaign has been specially created to encourage people of India to enjoy this holiday season responsibly. We are delighted to be associated with AIB in using a novel way to deliver this message.”

Ola will also have leading Indian celebrities and customers, tweeting their drunken confessions in support of the campaign and looks to reach out to larger numbers and create greater impact through them.

Ola has been, in the past, committed to similar causes. Recently in Delhi, Ola partnered with Hauz Khas Village Association to encourage patrons and visitors of leading pubs and bars in Hauz Khas Village to take a safe and specially discounted Ola cab ride after night out with friends. Additionally, on last New Year’s Eve, Ola deployed more than 500 shuttles to ferry over 10,000 people to their homes from popular hot-spots around Delhi NCR. In Bangalore, too, Ola recently launched a campaign at Church Street Social where they installed the first of a thousand breathalyzers outside the pub to encourage citizens to check their alcohol levels before making the decision to drive. We have also partnered with SABmiller on a similar initiative called ‘Respect the Road’.

December 26, 2016
Maruti Suzuki, Ola tie up to train drivers

MUMBAI: Maruti Suzuki India has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ola to train aspiring drivers-partners. Under the ‘Maruti Ola Training Program,’ the company aims at benefiting 40,000 Ola partner-drivers in safe driving, over a period of three years.

Maruti Suzuki and Ola partnership will create entrepreneurship opportunities for aspiring drivers¬ partners as well as make urban transportation safe, reliable and convenient. The pilot phase of the initiative will be rolled out in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and in NCR. The driving training programme will be gradually rolled out in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Pune.

Ola, as a technology platform will help create opportunities for these trained drivers by giving them access to infrastructure, financing and continuous revenue. Over the last 5 years, Ola has been successful in on-boarding over 5 lakh skilled driver-partners onto its platform.

Maruti Suzuki marketing and sales executive director R S Kalsi said, “Maruti Suzuki is committed to promote quality driving training in the country. Studies show that driver’s fault’ is the biggest reason of road accidents. We have evolved a comprehensive training program comprising simulators, theory and practical sessions, imparted through 370 Maruti Driving Schools and six IDTRs across India. The curriculum, besides driving skills, offers soft skills like grooming, manners, etiquette that develop a positive attitude among the drivers. We are glad that through this partnership with Ola, we will be able to expand quality driving training while creating opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship. We target to train 40,000 individuals over three years.”

Ola COO Pranay Jivrajka said, “Mobility in India is a huge need and the industry has the potential to empower aspiring individuals from all walks of life to become micro-entrepreneurs. This partnership falls in line with Ola’s goal of skilling five million drivers in the next five years and continue to build a conducive ecosystem for them to grow as entrepreneurs. We are delighted to work with a trusted Indian brand like Maruti to create a unique solution to skill tens of thousands of aspiring driver entrepreneurs realize their dreams. This is yet another initiative from Ola towards creating a robust and balanced driver ecosystem; which is vital to realize our mission of creating mobility for a billion Indians.”

According to the MoU, Maruti Suzuki would help the individuals/Ola partner-drivers obtain commercial license and also assist in availing vehicle financing to purchase their own car, after the completion of their course. Ola will also provide qualified leads of potential driver-partners to Maruti Suzuki for facilitating them with commercial driving training.

All the aspiring drivers will undergo a 30-day driving training which includes a pre- and post- assessment tests to gauge the driving skills of these individuals.

The classroom sessions will familiarize the trainee with basic requirements such as vehicle controls and mechanisms, road signage, rules and markings, driving in difficult conditions, maintenance and fuel efficiency tips and traffic laws. Besides these dedicated sessions on soft skills like being a good road user, interactive case studies on the effect of bad driving habits, the importance of positive attitude, grooming tips, etiquette and good manners are imparted to instill safe driving habits and become a responsible driver.

The practical training sessions cover intensive training on safe and efficient driving, pre-checks before starting to drive, risk perception, defensive driving techniques, driving in difficult conditions, rules of the road and emergency handling.

Ola works closely with multiple state governments to create a skilled workforce that has access to capital, insurance and vehicle at discounted prices. Ola aims to add 50 lakh driver-partners on its platform by 2022 by mobilising, training and engaging with aspirants through such partnerships.

December 9, 2016
Maruti Suzuki, Ola tie up to train drivers

MUMBAI: Maruti Suzuki India has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ola to train aspiring drivers-partners. Under the ‘Maruti Ola Training Program,’ the company aims at benefiting 40,000 Ola partner-drivers in safe driving, over a period of three years.

Maruti Suzuki and Ola partnership will create entrepreneurship opportunities for aspiring drivers¬ partners as well as make urban transportation safe, reliable and convenient. The pilot phase of the initiative will be rolled out in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and in NCR. The driving training programme will be gradually rolled out in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Pune.

Ola, as a technology platform will help create opportunities for these trained drivers by giving them access to infrastructure, financing and continuous revenue. Over the last 5 years, Ola has been successful in on-boarding over 5 lakh skilled driver-partners onto its platform.

Maruti Suzuki marketing and sales executive director R S Kalsi said, “Maruti Suzuki is committed to promote quality driving training in the country. Studies show that driver’s fault’ is the biggest reason of road accidents. We have evolved a comprehensive training program comprising simulators, theory and practical sessions, imparted through 370 Maruti Driving Schools and six IDTRs across India. The curriculum, besides driving skills, offers soft skills like grooming, manners, etiquette that develop a positive attitude among the drivers. We are glad that through this partnership with Ola, we will be able to expand quality driving training while creating opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship. We target to train 40,000 individuals over three years.”

Ola COO Pranay Jivrajka said, “Mobility in India is a huge need and the industry has the potential to empower aspiring individuals from all walks of life to become micro-entrepreneurs. This partnership falls in line with Ola’s goal of skilling five million drivers in the next five years and continue to build a conducive ecosystem for them to grow as entrepreneurs. We are delighted to work with a trusted Indian brand like Maruti to create a unique solution to skill tens of thousands of aspiring driver entrepreneurs realize their dreams. This is yet another initiative from Ola towards creating a robust and balanced driver ecosystem; which is vital to realize our mission of creating mobility for a billion Indians.”

According to the MoU, Maruti Suzuki would help the individuals/Ola partner-drivers obtain commercial license and also assist in availing vehicle financing to purchase their own car, after the completion of their course. Ola will also provide qualified leads of potential driver-partners to Maruti Suzuki for facilitating them with commercial driving training.

All the aspiring drivers will undergo a 30-day driving training which includes a pre- and post- assessment tests to gauge the driving skills of these individuals.

The classroom sessions will familiarize the trainee with basic requirements such as vehicle controls and mechanisms, road signage, rules and markings, driving in difficult conditions, maintenance and fuel efficiency tips and traffic laws. Besides these dedicated sessions on soft skills like being a good road user, interactive case studies on the effect of bad driving habits, the importance of positive attitude, grooming tips, etiquette and good manners are imparted to instill safe driving habits and become a responsible driver.

The practical training sessions cover intensive training on safe and efficient driving, pre-checks before starting to drive, risk perception, defensive driving techniques, driving in difficult conditions, rules of the road and emergency handling.

Ola works closely with multiple state governments to create a skilled workforce that has access to capital, insurance and vehicle at discounted prices. Ola aims to add 50 lakh driver-partners on its platform by 2022 by mobilising, training and engaging with aspirants through such partnerships.

December 9, 2016
Ola Play launched for in-cab entertainment that includes Sony LIV

BENGALURU: Ola, Indian mobile app for transportation, launched a global first in Bengaluru today. The cab aggregator announced the immediate availability of ‘Ola Play’ for its ‘Ola Select’ customers in the National Capital Region, Mumbai and Bengaluru to be followed by a national rollout by March 2017 in 50,000 vehicles across all the cities in India that Ola operates in. For Ola Prime users Ola Play services will be offered without any additional cost over and above the cab ride cost informed Ola co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal. Use what you want…

Besides offering the highly personalised experience for users during their rides, Ola Play allows various partners like Apple Music, Sony LIV, Audio Compass and Fynd to build experiences for users. And yes, one can control the air-conditioning and the radio with Ola Play.

Aggarwal said, “I believe that this will completely transform the consumer’s ride experience, giving the user the power to control the interactions within the car and usher in a new era in the ridesharing industry. With over 60 million (6 crore) minutes spent in Ola rides every day, the impact on consumer comfort, convenience and productivity can be transformative. This will further propel ridesharing as the first choice of mobility for many more millions. Ola Play is a world first, built in India by an Indian team, which showcases that we can do better than the best in the world and be global leaders in technology and innovation.”

Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited EVP and Head – Digital New Media Uday Sodhi said, “With Ola Play, we are offering unique content that is tailored to the needs and preferences of viewers on the move. As a brand Sony LIV is the first premium video on demand (VOD) service providing multi-screen experience to users on all devices; and is the first amongst the competition to provide exclusive premium content. Our association with Ola Play will allow us to further customise popular shows, movies and more, for Indians to consume in a highly engaged way, while on the move.”

Ola Play is a connected car platform for ride sharing that Ola says will transform the in-car experience for users on the go. The platform, built in partnership with Qualcomm is powered by proprietary in-cloud technologies from Ola, by bringing advance car controls, choice of personalised content and a fully connected interactive experience for the user. Ola Play transfers the control of the in-car experience to users from the Driver Console, which enables seamless interfacing with the consumer’s device once the ride begins. Ola Play can be accessed by the consumers own device or the large scree mounted in-car along with the car’s surround sound system.

November 22, 2016
Ola Play launched for in-cab entertainment that includes Sony LIV

BENGALURU: Ola, Indian mobile app for transportation, launched a global first in Bengaluru today. The cab aggregator announced the immediate availability of ‘Ola Play’ for its ‘Ola Select’ customers in the National Capital Region, Mumbai and Bengaluru to be followed by a national rollout by March 2017 in 50,000 vehicles across all the cities in India that Ola operates in. For Ola Prime users Ola Play services will be offered without any additional cost over and above the cab ride cost informed Ola co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal. Use what you want…

Besides offering the highly personalised experience for users during their rides, Ola Play allows various partners like Apple Music, Sony LIV, Audio Compass and Fynd to build experiences for users. And yes, one can control the air-conditioning and the radio with Ola Play.

Aggarwal said, “I believe that this will completely transform the consumer’s ride experience, giving the user the power to control the interactions within the car and usher in a new era in the ridesharing industry. With over 60 million (6 crore) minutes spent in Ola rides every day, the impact on consumer comfort, convenience and productivity can be transformative. This will further propel ridesharing as the first choice of mobility for many more millions. Ola Play is a world first, built in India by an Indian team, which showcases that we can do better than the best in the world and be global leaders in technology and innovation.”

Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited EVP and Head – Digital New Media Uday Sodhi said, “With Ola Play, we are offering unique content that is tailored to the needs and preferences of viewers on the move. As a brand Sony LIV is the first premium video on demand (VOD) service providing multi-screen experience to users on all devices; and is the first amongst the competition to provide exclusive premium content. Our association with Ola Play will allow us to further customise popular shows, movies and more, for Indians to consume in a highly engaged way, while on the move.”

Ola Play is a connected car platform for ride sharing that Ola says will transform the in-car experience for users on the go. The platform, built in partnership with Qualcomm is powered by proprietary in-cloud technologies from Ola, by bringing advance car controls, choice of personalised content and a fully connected interactive experience for the user. Ola Play transfers the control of the in-car experience to users from the Driver Console, which enables seamless interfacing with the consumer’s device once the ride begins. Ola Play can be accessed by the consumers own device or the large scree mounted in-car along with the car’s surround sound system.

November 22, 2016
‘Nahi rukega India’ travelling cashless in Ola

MUMBAI: Taxi aggregator Ola has has launched its multi-channel campaign ‘Nahi rukega India’ to celebrate cashless India. The private transport company will motivate people to go on in life as usual in the current scenario of demonetisation.

Co-created by Happy mcgarrybowen, the campaign addresses the average Indian commuter. The campaign is led by a TV ad, complemented by digital and print ads that reinforce the message of – India won’t stop. On TV, the message is delivered through a soft and poetic, but compelling style.

This is supported by offers that assure cash-backs from partners such as HDFC Bank, e-commerce and retail brands and Ola Money.

Ola meanwhile felicitated its top performing driver-partners in Delhi NCR. A week long contest was held last month and the best performing drivers were given a chance to avail 2 tickets for a 4 day long sponsored trip to Goa. Other winners were given goodies like camera, music system, gold coins, induction plate, etc.

Ola recently launched Ola Credit – a unique postpaid service to enable hassle-free mobility to citizens who can now pay later for their rides. A global first in the industry,this service is being launched at a time when cash conservation is important for many citizens. Ola Credit will give customers seven days of credit so they can keep booking Ola cabs without worrying about having sufficient cash.

November 22, 2016
‘Nahi rukega India’ travelling cashless in Ola

MUMBAI: Taxi aggregator Ola has has launched its multi-channel campaign ‘Nahi rukega India’ to celebrate cashless India. The private transport company will motivate people to go on in life as usual in the current scenario of demonetisation.

Co-created by Happy mcgarrybowen, the campaign addresses the average Indian commuter. The campaign is led by a TV ad, complemented by digital and print ads that reinforce the message of – India won’t stop. On TV, the message is delivered through a soft and poetic, but compelling style.

This is supported by offers that assure cash-backs from partners such as HDFC Bank, e-commerce and retail brands and Ola Money.

Ola meanwhile felicitated its top performing driver-partners in Delhi NCR. A week long contest was held last month and the best performing drivers were given a chance to avail 2 tickets for a 4 day long sponsored trip to Goa. Other winners were given goodies like camera, music system, gold coins, induction plate, etc.

Ola recently launched Ola Credit – a unique postpaid service to enable hassle-free mobility to citizens who can now pay later for their rides. A global first in the industry,this service is being launched at a time when cash conservation is important for many citizens. Ola Credit will give customers seven days of credit so they can keep booking Ola cabs without worrying about having sufficient cash.

November 22, 2016
Ola shutting down TaxiForSure, adds value-based services for customer convenience

MUMBAI: Ola has taken a leap in saving cash burn rate by shutting down TaxiForSure, the Banglore-based cab service it acquired last year. It has removed about 700 employees in the process of reworking its business model.

Ola is taking measures to widen its lead over Uber and crown itself as the space leader in India.

The web based cab service has launched value added services like providing free WiFi for customers of its premium Prime service. It also launched the mini cab service, the cheapest cab option.

In the process of shutting down TFS, employees from call centres, business development and driver relations were removed from their positions. The Integration is complete with TFS driver-partners and customers coming on board the Ola app.

According to the management, they have employed as many TFS employees for open roles in Ola to support our growth. For positions that cease to exist as a result of this transition, Ola has offered a three-month salary compensation.

Ola, backed by Softbank acquired TFS in 2015 at the cost of $200 Million with the intention of competing with Uber and widen its presence.
The competition is expected to intensify further in the coming months as Uber expands its focus on the Indian market after selling off its China operations to Didi Chuxing. Interestingly, Didi is a minority investor in Ola and also shares a common investor in SoftBank.

The functions of TFS slowed down right after taking over. It is learnt that the company has been unclear about brand positioning of TaxiForSure and so the TFS fleet was transferred to Ola supply. Insiders say the incentive for Ola was more lucrative for Ola than TaxiForSure. According to reports, the company will save about Rs 30 crore every month by shutting down TFS. The option for TaxiForSure will phase out from Ola App over time.

August 18, 2016
Ola shutting down TaxiForSure, adds value-based services for customer convenience

MUMBAI: Ola has taken a leap in saving cash burn rate by shutting down TaxiForSure, the Banglore-based cab service it acquired last year. It has removed about 700 employees in the process of reworking its business model.

Ola is taking measures to widen its lead over Uber and crown itself as the space leader in India.

The web based cab service has launched value added services like providing free WiFi for customers of its premium Prime service. It also launched the mini cab service, the cheapest cab option.

In the process of shutting down TFS, employees from call centres, business development and driver relations were removed from their positions. The Integration is complete with TFS driver-partners and customers coming on board the Ola app.

According to the management, they have employed as many TFS employees for open roles in Ola to support our growth. For positions that cease to exist as a result of this transition, Ola has offered a three-month salary compensation.

Ola, backed by Softbank acquired TFS in 2015 at the cost of $200 Million with the intention of competing with Uber and widen its presence.
The competition is expected to intensify further in the coming months as Uber expands its focus on the Indian market after selling off its China operations to Didi Chuxing. Interestingly, Didi is a minority investor in Ola and also shares a common investor in SoftBank.

The functions of TFS slowed down right after taking over. It is learnt that the company has been unclear about brand positioning of TaxiForSure and so the TFS fleet was transferred to Ola supply. Insiders say the incentive for Ola was more lucrative for Ola than TaxiForSure. According to reports, the company will save about Rs 30 crore every month by shutting down TFS. The option for TaxiForSure will phase out from Ola App over time.

August 18, 2016
NDTV presents its first ever Unicorn start-up awards 2016

MUMBAI: The world of start-ups is bursting at the seams and India is becoming the start-up capital of the world. NDTV’s series Unicorn — Chasing the start-up dream has been leading the charge in discovering the next big idea from India’s belly which can be the next billion-dollar valued start-up.

Carrying forward this anticipation NDTV presents the first ever Unicorn Start-up Awards in association with Vestige and Indigo Nation to honour those who have astonished the market with simple ideas and some great execution. The awards will witness some of the biggest mentors and venture capitalists from the start up space in attendance, including Deep Kalra, Founder and CEO, MakeMyTrip, and Sandeep Aggarwal, Founder, Shopclues & Droom.

The awards will recognise the most credible dream-chasers who are going to change the way India does business with a stellar jury panel including R Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM, Suchi Mukherjee, Founder and CEO, Limeroad, and Raman Roy, a seasoned investor, to name a few.

Start-ups like Grofers, Oyo Rooms, Ola, FlipKart and Shopclues will compete for coveted titles. NDTV has tied up with NASSCOM 10,000 Startups, as knowledge partner for the awards, and with Tracxn, a start-up intelligence and market research platform, as research partner.

The exciting evening will be hosted by the glamorous Mandira Bedi, tech guru Rajiv Makhni and Vikram Chandra, Group CEO, NDTV.

Vikram Chandra, Group CEO, NDTV is all geared up for the first innings of these awards. “We have entered a new business era of start-ups, and it could transform India. NDTV too has expanded its wings in the e-commerce arena and we are growing rapidly. The Unicorn Start-Up Awards is our attempt to honour the unique ideas which have made a mark. From here on, we expect the awards to get bigger and better, and to be the benchmark for entrepreneur recognition.”

Rajiv Makhni, MD Technology, who is the brainchild behind these awards said, “From nascent ideas cooked up in a warehouse to booming ventures that are eating up market share and attracting consumers at breakneck speed, NDTV Unicorn Start-Up Awards will lift the iron curtain off them all. This is the highest form of recognition for those that have blazed a trail of their own. This is the start-ups’ moment to shine and occupy centre-stage on a prestigious platform like NDTV.”

The awards will be presented and the webcast will be live on ground on July 29th at the Taj Palace, New Delhi, 7 pm onwards.

• Bootstrapped start-up of the year – this category will award start-ups that are bootstrapped all the way and have made notable progress without external funding or support and own nothing outside of their start-up.
• New Kid on the Block– this category will award the start-up that has an exceptional idea and is now attempting to scale up into a business. It should be an original idea with the potential to disrupt the market.
• Dream-chaser of the year– this category will award the start-up that has a concrete plan and is now scaling up through funding.
• Woman Entrepreneur of the year– this category will recognise a start-up helmed by a woman entrepreneur which has disrupted the market.
• Health start-up of the year– this category includes health start-ups across wellness and fitness and more that have made an impact.
• Unicorn of the Year– this category will be awarded to the billion-dollar start-up, or Unicorns that has shown highest year-on-year growth in the financial year gone by.
• Start-up of the future– this category will award the start-up that has the ability to be the next big thing and has a fantastic idea at its core and is looking at establishing itself in a developing market.
• Global Start-up of the Year– this category will award an international start-up that has revolutionised its segment and has shown remarkable growth in the last financial year.
• Start-up mentor of the year– this category will recognise an investor, a big shark, an incubator, which has funded start-ups. This individual or venture capital firm will be awarded for great investment acumen and success rate.
• Good Samaritan of the year– this category will award start-ups that are making a social impact through their idea.
• People’s Start-up of the Year: this will be the only category thrown open to public voting through a microsite and will not be part of the jury’s decision-making process. This convenience start-up will be awarded for pleasing consumers through great service, marketing, and brand retention.
• Start-up Person of the Year– this category will award and recognise Indian personalities who have played an important role in shaping India’s start-up sector. He or she could be a government representative, a leading investor, a Unicorn founder.
• Brand Ambassador of the Year– this category will award the person who has upheld his/her responsibilities as a start- up brand ambassador and is a true start up evangelist!

July 23, 2016