Ola Driver Fund report card: Ride hailing app claims to have helped 9,000 drivers and delivered 650,000 kgs of essential supplies

• Ola claims to have helped 9,000 drivers across 90 cities through its Drive the Driver Fund.
• Through the fund, Ola enabled 6 million meals across 30 cities and distributed 650,000 kgs of essentials.
• Ola also recently partnered with the Delhi government to convert its cabs into mini ambulances which can be used for non-covid19 emergencies.

Shamshad, a 32-year-old Ola driver in Mumbai recently found out that his mother has Stage 1 lung cancer. He rushed her to the hospital, where she was admitted for seven days. He received a bill of ₹60,000.

But Shamshad has not been getting rides in Mumbai because of the coronavirus lockdown. Mumbai is one of the most infected cities with over 5,000 confirmed cases. Naturally, Shamshad’s monthly income has been affected.

Meanwhile, in Hyderabad Ola’s 27-year-old driver partner Appalaraju faced a similar situation when his father suffered a paralysis stroke and he got a hospital bill of over ₹65,000.

Both Shamshad and Appalaraju turned to Ola’s Drive the Driver Fund for financial help. The fund was set up to help those gig economy workers, the ones who depend on daily earnings for their survival.

While there have been reports of drivers complaining about funds not having reached them, the company claims to have reached out to those in need of urgent financial assistance.

So far, Ola claims to have helped 9000 drivers across 90 cities. Through the fund, Ola also enabled 6 million meals across 30 cities and distributed 650,000 kgs of essential supplies.

"Drivers and their families across the country are facing a lot of challenges owing to the lockdown and any case of a medical emergency in the family during these times of limited income can be a huge financial strain on them. Our teams are working round the clock to provide support to thousands of driver-partners across the country who have reached out over the past few weeks,” Anand Subramanian, official spokesperson of Ola told Business Insider.

Ola also recently partnered with the Delhi government to convert its cabs into mini ambulances which can be used for non-covid19 emergencies.

“Access to healthcare, especially for non-COVID related emergencies is becoming a major challenge in our cities. Through this initiative, we will be able to supplement the existing ambulance network with access to quick and safe mobility for anyone in need, to get to the hospital. We are also partnering with state governments across the country and will continue to support them with their emergency response efforts,” said Subramanian.

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