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The Maharashtra government has off lately faced a lot of pressure from taxi and auto rickshaw unions for curbing Ola and Uber, the app-based taxi aggregators in Mumbai city, owing to which the government might soon take some action. 
 
The reason, some say, is that the government doesn’t want to offending such a large number of taxi and auto rickshaw drivers, looking at the political cost that it might have to pay for this later. 
 
"There are 1lakh auto rickshaw drivers in the city and about 30,000 taxi drivers, so if each driver has a family of three, then the number comes to around 5 lakh people. So you are antagonising five lakh voters during the civic elections in Mumbai and Thane," a government official told <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/maharashtra-may-put-curbs-on-app-based-taxi-aggregators-ola-uber/articleshow/53409989.cms">ET</a>. "We are working on a plan where taxi and autos also operate like Uber and Ola with flexible fare structures," he added. 
 It was because of an assurance from the government that one of these unions called off a strike that was scheduled from yesterday. However, needless to say, executives from Uber and Ola were also not going to sit quietly, because of which they have sought an appointment with CM <keyword id="6355042" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Devendra-Fadnavis">Devendra Fadnavis</keyword>. 
 
<a href="http://d152j5tfobgaot.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/yourstory-mumbai-taxi.png">Image source</a>

Maharashta might limit Ola and Uber operations in Mumbai

BANGALORE: The fight to win over the Indian taxi passenger has intensified with aggregator Olacabs and cab hailing app Uber slashing prices by a fourth in Delhi—a development that is likely to force rivals to follow suit. 
 
While Ola has cut rates in its lowerend car business—Ola mini—to Rs 10 /km, Uber has cut prices for its premium segment Uber BLACK. Separately, the San Francisco-based taxi hailing app also announced that it will be launching its affordable ride service UberX in three more Indian cities: Mumbai, Chennai and Pune. “We are pushing our efficiency system to the maximum,” said Shailesh Sawlani, general manager of Uber in Mumbai. "We see this as a daily commute option for our riders and plan to maintain these prices if customers ride with us as much as we anticipate." 
 UberX Mumbai fares are Rs 15/km with a minimum base fare of Rs 50 and total minimum fare of Rs 125. The latest moves come after Uber cut its prices in Bangalore by 25% last month. Ola also reduced fares to Rs10/km for its <keyword id="2210965" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ola-Mini">Ola Mini</keyword> service in the Garden City. “We have been able to optimise our inventory,” said Pranay Jivrajka, vice president of operations at Olacabs. 
 
According to industry estimates, taxi companies are struggling to keep pace with the rising demand and on average cannot accommodate a fifth of the bookings. To address this problem Ola said it will increase the number of cabs available on its mobile app by about 35% to 3,200 in Delhi alone. Ola’s total fleet size is about 15,000. 
 
“These price cuts are just a starting point to acquire customers and establishing the brand image till the time you hit a critical mass,” said Arvind Singhal, chairman of Technopak. “At Rs 10/km Ola is making losses on each Ola Mini ride,” said a source directly familiar with the matter. Same is the case with Uber, according to another source. Uber’s price drop in Bangalore is, however, for a limited duration. 
 The company has not specified the timeframe. Other competitors like TaxiFor-Sure are focussing on discount codes to expand the customer base instead of cutting prices. “We keep doing event-related promotions and offer discount vouchers from time to time,” said Aprameya Radhakrishna, founder and chief executive of <keyword id="1428790" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="TaxiforSure">TaxiForSure</keyword>. 
 
“Till the time, taxi aggregators will not face pressure to turn profitable, the freebies will continue,” said Jaspal Singh, cofounder of Valoriser Consultants, which provides market research services for transportation companies. “These companies are looking to build valuation by expanding geographic reach, recruiting more number of drivers and attracting bookings to increase revenue.” 
 However other aggregators like <keyword id="108722" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Meru-Cabs">Meru Cabs</keyword> and Savaari cabs feel that price cuts is not sustainable long-term. “Meru does not believe in price wars,” said Siddhartha Pahwa, CEO of MERU Cabs. “Consumers will not take a cab because it’s cheap but for its reliability, safety and professional service.”

Win For Customers as Taxi Companies Like Olacabs, Uber Cut Fares In Delhi, Others May Follow

<ul><li>Ola launched <keyword id="2761554" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="OLA-DRIVE">Ola Drive</keyword>, its self-drive car sharing service.</li><li>Ola Drive will initially be available in Bengaluru.</li><li>It is also offering short-term rentals like for two hours for a deposit of ₹ 2,000.</li></ul>Ola has launched its self-drive car sharing service called Ola Drive. The service will be available in Bengaluru initially but will be expanded to Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi soon after. In March, Ola <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ola-will-race-zoomcar-in-self-drive-car-rentals-with-a-500-million-bet/articleshow/68614269.cms">confirmed</a> the launch of its self drive service to Business Insider. It kickstarted this offering by pumping in $500 million, a source had then told Business Insider. “India’s car-sharing market has immense potential and opportunity, which is yet to see a large-scale investment in technology and operations to make the model viable. Our expertise in serving millions of customers through a large fleet of vehicles across 250 plus cities has been instrumental in making ride-hailing a norm in India. Ola Drive has been built on the same DNA and will play a transformative role in defining India’s car-sharing market in the next decade,” Arun Srinivas, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Ola, said. Now, Ola claims that its self drive service will be 30% cheaper than its competitors in the market like <keyword id="6368965" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="zoomcar">Zoomcar</keyword>. It is also offering short-term rentals like for two hours for a deposit of ₹ 2,000. It will also allow users to design their own package – from number of kilometres to hours of rental. The self-drive car rental service will put Ola in direct competition with Zoomcar and Drivezy, while pushing forward Ola’s existing fleet business. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ola-will-race-zoomcar-in-self-drive-car-rentals-with-a-500-million-bet/articleshow/68614269.cms">Ola will race Zoomcar in self-drive car rentals with a $500 million bet</a>

Ola’s new self-driving service is priced 30% lower than competitors

<ul><li>Ola is piloting its self-driving car rental service in India. </li><li>Sources suggest that Ola will be pumping in $500 million into the segment. </li><li>Earlier in March, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation made their biggest combined investment to date of $300 million into Ola. </li></ul>Indian ride-hailing startup Ola is rapidly moving beyond its core service of being a cab aggregator. After making inroads into e-mobility, it is now launching a self-drive service. Ola is set to start its self-drive service by pumping in $500 million, a source told Business Insider. Confirming the news, an Ola spokesperson told Business Insider, “Basis market feedback, we are piloting our Ola Self-Drive offering in various formats like rentals, subscription and corporate leasing in select cities in the coming weeks. This space is currently underserved and there exists a tremendous opportunity to build a superior experience through an integrated mobility platform like Ola.” The self-drive car rental service will put Ola in direct competition with Zoomcar and Drivezy, while pushing forward Ola’s existing fleet business. Ola Fleet Technologies Pvt Ltd also looks into asset optimization and management. Ola is planning to take this launch to its top seven cities – Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata – with over 10,000 vehicles including luxury sedans and SUVs under the Ola Self-drive category. The company is taking this self-drive category to Ola’s 150 million+ consumers in the country will make it the largest self drive business in India, the source added. By understanding consumer demand, Ola will look at introducing more car types into the self-drive category. They are also looking at growing the business through a subscription model for consumers and reaching out to corporates. Earlier this month, Hyundai Motor Group and Ola announced a strategic partnership under which Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation made their biggest combined investment to date of $300 million. “As part of the strategic collaboration, the companies have agreed to co-create solutions to operate and manage fleet vehicles, marking the Group’s first foray into the industry, as they expand operations from automobile manufacturing and sales to total fleet solutions,” Ola had said in an official statement. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ola-takes-on-mahindra-glyd-with-fresh-funds-wheres-uber/articleshow/68214440.cms">Ola gets fresh funds to take on Mahindra’s Glyd – where’s Uber?</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/after-minting-1-billion-from-flipkart-sale-sachin-bansal-is-now-betting-big-on-ola/articleshow/67526383.cms">Watch out Uber. Sachin Bansal gets Ola share after selling Flipkart</a>

Ola will race Zoomcar in self-drive car rentals with a $500 million bet

<ul><li>HR Director <keyword id="14299448" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ranjit-kondeshan" source="Orion">Ranjit Kondeshan</keyword> quits as a top executive.</li><li>Ola witnessed 31 top-level resignations and 40 new postings since 2020.</li><li>The high-profile exits come at a time when Ola is reportedly planning its IPO this year.</li></ul>The resignation drive of senior executives at <keyword id="4393078" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ola-electric" source="Orion">Ola Electric</keyword> continues and now, its Director HR Ranjit Kondeshan has decided to move on. According to sources, Kondeshan would depart from Bhavish Aggarwal-run electric mobility company on July 2, just 14 months after joining. According to his LinkedIn profile, Kondeshan joined Ola Electric Mobility from Visa where he worked for three years in Mumbai. Before Visa, he was Senior HR Manager at Bajaj Allianz Life. Ola Electric, facing a government probe in battery fires along with other EV players, has seen some high-profile exits in recent months. Nidhi Chaturvedi Jha quit Ola Electric as regional head in May and joined Amazon. In April, chief marketing officer Varun Dubey left the company due to "personal reasons". Earlier, Dinesh Radhakrishnan, who was the chief technology officer (CTO) at Ola Electric, moved on from the company. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was appointed CTO at Ola Electric in May last year. Meanwhile, Arun Sirdeshmukh who was head of Ola Cars, which is the used car commerce division of the company, announced his departure from the company. The high-profile exits come at a time when Ola is reportedly planning its IPO this year at a lower valuation than planned earlier as several startups' IPOs have proved to be a nightmare for the investors. Ride-hailing platform Ola this week shut down its used vehicle business Ola Cars as well as Ola Dash, its quick-commerce business, at a time when Indian companies are pouring money into the 10-15 minute grocery delivery market. The company shut Ola Cars within one years of its launch, as it focuses on its electric two-wheeler and car verticals. Ola has so far shut down Ola Cafe, food panda, Ola Foods, and now Ola Dash. Ola now aims to invest more towards its electric car, cell manufacturing, and financial services businesses. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/lays-kurkure-and-bingo-are-taking-over-indian-snacks-like-aloo-bhujia/articleshow/92508625.cms">Lay’s, Kurkure and Bingo are taking over Indian snacks like Aloo Bhujia, Murukku</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/how-it-works-internet-of-things-iot-for-manufacturing/articleshow/92509382.cms">How IT Works: Internet of Things (IoT) for manufacturing</a>

Ola Electric’s HR Director quits after fourteen months as top executives depart

Nearly 35,000 traditional <keyword id="1363622" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kaali-Peeli">kaali-peeli</keyword> cabs in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=mumbai">Mumbai </a>have ditched the traditional route and have decided to take on two of their biggest competitors- <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Ola-is-going-for-the-kill-Uber-already-sees-it-as-competition/articleshow/49088741.cms">Ola</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=uber">Uber</a> head-on by launching an app of their own. 
 Embracing the onslaught of technology enabled businesses, two major taxi unions in Mumbai and have come together and launched its very own app called <keyword id="3202744" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="9211">9211</keyword>, which will be offering instant cab services at government approved rates, no less, which is Rs 22 for the first 1.5 km. 
 Similar to how <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> and <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>’s app work, 9211 will also allow users the facility of locating and booking cabs near them. 
 
According to Prem Singh, the leader of Mumbai Taxi Association, all 35,000 kaali-peeli drivers will be asked to enroll themselves on the app. 
 
The app is expected to be state of the art and come built with safety features, such as an SOS button and GPS tracking, while all movements of the cabs are to be monitored via a centralized control room. 
 
As the venture is in its initial stage, unions have decided to take only cash payment at the moment but officials have indicated that they will soon come up with an online payment option as well. 
 While this launch is an extremely positive sign of traditional old businesses adapting to modern scenarios and opening their eyes to the wonders of technology, it’s still left to see whether the move will actually turn out to be profitable for the cab owners or manage to disrupt even a little of the two <keyword id="6524998" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Cab-aggregators">cab aggregators</keyword>’ loyal customer base. 
 
Granted the kaali peeli cabs have number on their side with a fleet of 35,000 cabs, but what will seal the case in their favour is the ease of transactions on the app and how convenient and efficient the experience is, as compared to an Uber or an Ola. 
 
It’s also interesting to note that just last year Ola had tried its level best to incorporate these Kaali-Peeli cabs into their network and has also launched cash payment to attract customers. However, the idea didn’t take off with a meagre 2500 cabs signing up. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

You Searched For "ola mumbai" and got 6 results

Maharashta might limit Ola and Uber operations in Mumbai

BI India Bureau

Win For Customers as Taxi Companies Like Olacabs, Uber Cut Fares In Delhi, Others May Follow

Economic Times

Ola’s new self-driving service is priced 30% lower than competitors

Sanchita Dash

Ola will race Zoomcar in self-drive car rentals with a $500 million bet

Sanchita Dash

Ola Electric’s HR Director quits after fourteen months as top executives depart

IANS

Mumbai’s kaali-peeli cabs just launched an app, but is it enough to counter Ola and Uber?

Poulomi Das

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