After Myntra, now it is cab & auto hailing startup, Ola, that has announced its plans to go mobile-app only across all the 100 cities it has operations in, from next month.
Ola had launched its mobile app for cab booking in 2011, which has now grown to include multiple categories across cabs, auto-rickshaws and kaali-peeli taxis. From receiving just about 20% of booking requests on the app at launch, Ola, now receives as much as 99% of its bookings through the app at current scale.
According to the company, over 90% of Ola customers choose the ‘Ride Now’ option instead of ‘Ride Later’ indicating a tremendous shift in the way consumers prefer to use transportation on-demand.
Ola also mentions that even in the smaller cities, more than 95% of bookings for it come through the app at the moment.
With the tremendous uptake in the booking via mobile app, Ola has decided to accept booking requests only through the mobile medium from the coming month.
Also, Ola has rolled out an app enhancement in its recent update this week to allow swift loading even while on 2G networks. With this update, users will be able to save significant amount of data while using the app and have a seamless in-app experience even in areas with weak data connectivity.
Until recently, customers could also book cabs on Ola’s platforms through its call centre on 33553355 which will be available 24×7 as ‘Ola Care’ for customer support and assistance.
Pranay Jivrajka, Chief Operating Officer at Ola said, “With 99% of our bookings coming through our app today, it is clear that our users prefer the seamless app-experience to any other mode of booking. This will allow us to deliver a consistent one-touch booking experience as well as improved ride experience across all aspects like navigation, payments, safety and feedback. Having said that, Ola Care will continue to be available 24×7 to address customer queries, collect feedback and provide support. The 2G enhancements will also allow users in smaller towns and low network areas to access Ola without compromising on speed and ease of access.”
This announcement comes at a time when the reports of Ola raising a new $500 Mn at a $4.5 Bn in new round have surfaced in media. It is to be noted that in recent times, Ola has ventured into various new verticals including on demand bus aggregation, auto booking and food and grocery delivery.
Recently, Flipkart too announced its plans to go app only.
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