Ola Joins Uber In The Carpooling Race; Announces Social Ride-Sharing

Cab and auto hailing service, Ola, has announced the launch of a social ride-share offering on its app.

The new feature will allow customers to take advantage of the social ride-sharing system, with the same comfort and convenience of booking an Ola. The ride can be shared with up to two other users from social groups that a user is part of, without having to share their ride with strangers, allowing increased privacy.

Currently in beta version, Ola Share, is available for select users in Bangalore, and will be launching in 5 cities in the next three months. Ola Share will be available at an introductory fare of flat INR 50 per person anywhere in Bangalore.

Ola Share will offer colleagues and friends to come together to share rides among themselves. Users can join multiple groups or simply choose to share a ride with anyone. As soon as a user requests a Share ride on the Ola app, they will be matched with other users from their groups, seeking a ride, on their way.

How it works:

• Customers can use the Ola app to book an ‘Ola Share’ cab which will be available as a separate category.
• On mentioning the drop location, Ola’s algorithms matches users from common groups, seeking a ride along the same route, in real time.
• Once the passengers’ locations are identified, the driver gets an alert with navigation to their pickup location within minutes.
• A maximum of 3 people can share a cab together via Ola Share.

Last month, Ola’s biggest rival in India, Uber, launched its carpooling service UberPOOL in Bangalore. The service allows a rider to share a ride with others seeking a ride along a similar route, and split the cost with them. Players like Zify, Tripda, BlaBlaCar, Letsride also operate in this space.

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