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<ul><li>The Indian government has warned cab aggregators over rising consumer complaints.</li><li>The government is expected to issue guidelines to remove unfair trade practices.</li><li>The government has also asked aggregators to reveal their algorithm and policies for determining price and cancellation charges.</li></ul>The government has come down heavily on cab aggregators like <keyword id="1042120" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uber" source="Orion">Uber</keyword> and <keyword id="6354720" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ola" source="Orion">Ola</keyword> amid increasing consumer complaints over “unfair trade practices” such as surge pricing, ride cancellation, drivers refusing to turn on the air conditioner and more. According to a <a href="https://zeenews.india.com/auto/indian-govt-directs-ola-uber-to-improve-cab-quality-services-stop-unfair-trade-practice-2462130.html">report</a>, the consumer affairs ministry held a meeting with companies such as Uber, Ola, Rapido, Meru Cabs and Jugnoo and warned the companies of strict action. The main issues under discussion included the surge pricing, frequent cancellation of rides by drivers over trivial issues such as the destination and payment mode, refusal to turn on air conditioners in cabs, different pricing for different users and more. Cab aggregators have announced <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/uber-announces-a-price-hike-of-12-for-cab-rides-in-delhi/articleshow/90793725.cms">price hikes</a> in several cities across the country. One of the reasons announced for the price hike was the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/petrol-and-diesel-prices-hiked-for-the-13th-time-in-15-days/articleshow/90655551.cms">increasing</a> cost of petrol and diesel in the country. Some cab drivers have also been <a href="https://telanganatoday.com/cab-drivers-in-hyderabad-to-charge-extra-for-ac-amid-rising-fuel-prices">refusing</a> to turn on the air conditioner, asking riders to pay an additional amount. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Govt warns about strict action" comment="subhead" text="Govt warns about strict action">Govt warns about strict action</cmsannotation> “We told them (cab aggregators) about the rising consumer complaints against their platforms. We gave them the statistics also. We have asked them to improve their system and redress the consumer complaints otherwise the competent authority will take strict action,” Rohit Kumar Singh, consumer affairs secretary said after the meeting. "The authority is likely to issue an advisory to ensure that unfair trade practices by cab aggregators are not carried on in violation of consumers' rights," said Nidhi Khare, chief commissioner, Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA). "The number of complaints is very high and therefore we have called the cab aggregators for an explanation of their policies," Khare said. “We are engaged with the Department of Consumer Affairs and deeply appreciate the feedback provided by them and will continue to provide our inputs. We strive to be the platform of choice for riders and drivers alike and continue to invest in technology and customer support to deliver an excellent experience for them," Nitish Bhushan, Head of Central Operations, Uber India and South Asia said in a statement to Business Insider India "We are committed to continually raising the bar – for ourselves, our industry, and most importantly for the people who use our services," Bhushan added. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Inflated price for old customers" comment="subhead" text="Inflated price for old customers">Inflated price for old customers</cmsannotation> Another issue that has come under the government’s scanner is surge pricing and differential pricing for old and new customers. "It appears that cab aggregators are using algorithms to lure new customers, putting old customers at a disadvantage. This is an unfair practice," Khare added. As per the regulator, cab aggregators are charging a premium to their existing customers and offering discounts to lure new customers. Differential pricing for the same location has been termed as an “unfair practice” by the regulator. Khare has added that aggregators will be called upon to reveal their algorithms and policies that are used to determine prices, cancellation charges and surge prices. The aggregators have also been asked to reveal the steps taken by them to safeguard customer’s personal data on their platforms. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/ubers-ceo-said-hiring-will-be-treated-as-a-privilege-and-inefficient-incentives-will-be-cut/articleshow/91439331.cms">Uber's CEO said hiring will be treated as a 'privilege' and inefficient incentives will be cut</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/how-a-group-of-youtubers-pranked-a-scam-call-centre-in-india-that-earns-18-million-per-year/articleshow/91463331.cms">Here's how a group of YouTubers pranked a scam call centre in India that makes $18 million per year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/top-profitable-startups-in-india-in-2021-22-zerodha-zoho-dream-11-and-firstcry-in-the-list/slidelist/91484233.cms">Top 10 profitable startups in India – from Zerodha to Zoho and Firstcry, here’s the list</a>

Indian government accuses Ola, Uber and other aggregators of inflating cab prices for older customers

<ul><li><keyword id="42747" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="tata-motors" source="Orion">Tata Motors</keyword> has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with cab aggregator <keyword id="1042120" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="uber" source="Orion">Uber</keyword> to supply 25,000 XPRES-T electric cars. </li><li>Uber will integrate these cars in its premium category service, the two companies said in a joint statement. </li><li>Uber will kick off the electrification of its fleet in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. </li></ul>Tata Motors has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with cab aggregator Uber to supply 25,000 XPRES-T electric cars. Uber will integrate these cars in its premium category service, the two companies said in a joint statement on Monday. Uber will kick off the electrification of its fleet in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. The deliveries of the XPRES-T electric car from Tata Motors will start this month, and the induction in Uber’s fleet will be done in a phased manner. “Offering customers our environmentally friendly electric vehicle (EV) ride experiences via Uber’s Premium Category service, will accelerate the adoption of green and clean personal ride sharing. The XPRES-T EV is a very attractive option both for customers and operators,” said Shailesh Chandra, MD, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility. Tata Motors’ shares closed higher amid a wider market decline, gaining 0.7% to close at ₹443 a piece. The company’s stock has gained 12% in 2023 so far. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="50,000 EVs rolled out so far, says Tata Motors" comment="subhead" text="50,000 EVs rolled out so far, says Tata Motors">50,000 EVs rolled out so far, says Tata Motors</cmsannotation> Tata Motors said that it has rolled out 50,000 EVs from its manufacturing plants till date across the personal mobility and fleet segments. “This partnership will further cement our market position in the fleet segment,” Chandra added. The company launched the <keyword id="13603230" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="xpres" source="Orion">XPRES</keyword> electric car brand in 2021 exclusively for fleet operators. The XRES-T EV is the first car under this brand and comes in two range options – 277 kilometres and 315 kilometres. Since it is aimed at fleet operators, it can charge from 0-80% in 59 minutes. “Uber is committed to bringing sustainable, shared mobility to India, and this partnership with Tata Motors is a major milestone on that journey. It represents the largest EV partnership yet between an automaker and a ridesharing platform in India,” said Prabhjeet Singh, president, Uber India and South Asia. In addition to fast charging, the XPRES-T can also be charged using a standard 15 amp plug point, providing flexibility to Uber and its driver partners. Recently, Ola founder and chief executive officer Bhavish Aggarwal said that the cab aggregator was planning to launch a fleet of 10,000 electric cars. BluSmart, another cab operator, has a 100% electric vehicle fleet – which currently stands at 2,200 cars. It operates in Gurugram, and areas of Delhi and Bengaluru. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/adani-group-stocks-meltdown-continues-on-monday/articleshow/98084715.cms">Adani group stocks meltdown continues on Monday – Adani Enterprises sees the biggest decline</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/inflation-expected-to-cool-down-but-economists-expect-another-rate-hike-after-january-shocker/articleshow/97983231.cms">Inflation expected to cool down but economists expect another rate hike after January shocker</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/maggi-kitkat-maker-nestle-india-reports-highest-domestic-growth-in-a-decade-in-fy22/articleshow/97974283.cms">Maggi &amp; KitKat maker Nestle India reports highest domestic growth in a decade in FY22</a>

Tata Motors and Uber sign MoU to induct 25,000 XPRES-T electric cars

<ul><li>BARC and Nielsen’s report indicates that consumers are now ready to step out of their houses and the country is slowly getting up on its feet. </li><li>While consumers are still wary about ordering food, they have started trusting <keyword id="6524998" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cab-aggregators">cab aggregators</keyword>, <keyword id="1693408" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="shopping-apps">shopping apps</keyword> and travel planners as report shows early signs of revival </li></ul><keyword id="2801660" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BARC-India">BARC India</keyword> and Nielsen Media’s latest report shows how consumers are gradually getting back to normalcy and have started relying on online services. As inter/intra-state movement restrictions relax, cab aggregators and travel planners see a good revival. During the week starting from June 26, cab aggregators saw a 6% increase in users and travel planners in metro cities, whereas travel planning apps saw 17% increase in users. <div type="image" title="barc - cabs" msid="76876227" hostid="261"></div> Online shopping saw a hike in users by 66% and e-wallets saw an increase of 78% in their users. <div type="image" title="shopping data increasse" msid="76876258" hostid="261"></div> However, consumers continue to be cautious about ordering food at large. <div type="image" title="barc - cabs" msid="76876297" hostid="261"></div> This is the tenth edition of the report on ‘Crisis Consumption on TV and Smartphones’ jointly released by BARC India and Nielsen Media. Some of the other Key Highlights of TV and Smartphone consumption report are as follows: - <ol><li>Total TV viewership in H1 2020 is 9% higher than 2019. </li><li>Total number of advertisers on TV in H1 2020 is 10% lower than H1 2019</li><li>With the onset of ‘unlock’ in June 2020, there is revival of Advertising on TV – significant increase in the presence of ‘top 10’ and ‘next 40’ in June 2020</li><li>TV viewership share for Movies, News &amp; Kids have increased in H1 2020 vs. H1 2019 - share of GEC declined from 49% to 46% due to no original programming during lockdown period</li><li>In week 26 Total TV viewership recorded 1 trillion viewing minutes (15% higher than pre-COVID). Smartphone consumption, after a peak during Lockdown Phase 2, has gradually dipped to 17.2 Bn minutes but is still 7% higher as compared to Pre-COVID.</li><li>On TV, recent weeks show growth in primetime viewership – more pronounced in South than HSM (return of original programming) – however, levels still lower than pre-COVID</li><li>On Smartphones, Social N/W and Gaming show higher consumption than Pre-COVID levels, whereas VOD mirrors the pre-lockdown levels.</li><li>With the country opening up gradually, categories like Shopping and Mobile Payments see revival, especially amongst 25+ yrs.</li><li>Cab aggregators in Metros, and Travel Planners in Tier I towns show a good revival post Unlock 1.</li><li>Chinese Apps saw a drop in usage post the Galwan attack with the ban acting as the last nail in the coffin.</li></ol>Considerations: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#ffff00;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#ffff00;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">BARC India </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#ffff00;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Nielsen Smartphone Panel </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Coverage </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">All India (Urban + Rural) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">All India (Urban 1 Lakh plus) </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TG </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">ALL NCCS 2+ years </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> 1. NCCS ABC 15-44 years </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> 2. Android Smartphone Users </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Time Period </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">PRE COVID - 11th Jan 2020- 31st Jan 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">PRE COVID - 13th Jan 2020 - 2nd Feb 2020 </td></tr></tbody></table>

Unlocking 2.0: Cab aggregators, shopping apps and travel planners see early signs of revival

<ul><li>Ola and Uber asked to showcase their algorithms related to ride cancellations and surge pricing.</li><li>Order came after CCPA received numerous complaints of unfair trading practices.</li><li>According to a survey by LocalCircles, 71% of customers continue to face ride cancellation issues.</li></ul>As thousands of commuters find themselves at the mercy of Uber and Ola drivers via ride cancellations, cancellation charges, random surge pricing and long waiting times, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) was set to grill cab aggregators over their algorithms on Tuesday. The regulator, under its Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, was set to ask cab-hailing platforms to showcase their algorithms related to ride cancellations and surge pricing, along with questioning them over other issues. The CCPA has received numerous complaints of unfair trading practices, such as cab drivers forcing riders to cancel trips that result in the customers paying the cancellation charge. The authority is of the view that old customers are being charged exorbitant rates while new riders are being wooed by low fares for the same distance. Despite the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020, 71 per cent customers say that ride cancellation issues by drivers continue, according to a survey by community-based social media platform LocalCircles last month. Over 45 per cent of app-based taxi consumers stated they were charged more than 1.5 times in surge pricing despite the threshold being set by the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020. The extortionist practices of some drivers to undertake private trips were reported by consumers as a major concern, the report said. As thousands of Indian riders continue to suffer from paying cancellation fees sans their faults, the ride-hailing major in Australia admitted that it made false or misleading statements in cancellation warning messages and taxi fare estimates, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Uber now faces $26 million (Australian dollars) in penalties for adopting those illegal practices. More than two million Australian consumers were shown the misleading cancellation warning. Envisioned to lessen the travel woes, cab-hailing platforms like Uber and Ola have come a long distance in India, but riders are increasingly facing more issues. Most of the time, Uber and Ola drivers ask the riders to reveal what fare the Uber app is showing, and then decide if they want to take the ride or not depending on the amount and if it is in cash, forcing the riders to cancel the ride. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/10-things-in-tech-its-about-to-get-ugly/articleshow/91440115.cms">10 Things in Tech: It's about to get ugly</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meditation-app-calm-launched-a-contest-to-find-tiktoks-smoothest-voice-the-winner-will-be-paid-5000-to-narrate-a-story/articleshow/91441165.cms">Meditation app Calm launched a contest to find TikTok's 'smoothest voice' – the winner will be paid $5,000 to narrate a story</a>

Indian regulator to grill Ola and Uber over rising customer complaints

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Your-Uber-Ola-rides-could-get-much-more-expensive-if-it-were-upto-the-Maharashtra-government/articleshow/55374515.cms">Pranay Jivrajka, Chief Operating Officer of Ola, </a>also half the company’s brain power along with Founder and CEO <keyword id="1553134" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bhavish-Agarwal">Bhavish Agarwal</keyword>, has seen the company grow from a call center in Mumbai to reaching 102 dynamic cities of India. Given the size of the task at hand, Pranay is always shuttling between cities at top neck speed. It is during one such dash from Bangalore to Delhi that we stole an hour from him, asking him about all the aces <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> has up its sleeves for the next year. For a company that is facing stiff competition from its biggest competitor in India, the global deep-pocketed Uber, Pranay seemed very much at ease discussing some of the finest details of Ola’s path to domination in the rather fast-growing and exuberant cab aggregator space. 
 
 
Q. Ola’s growth has been phenomenal in the past three years. What is going to be Ola’s areas of growth in the coming months? 
 
Pranay: The industry is evolving at a very fast pace. 
We had rentals and outstations as a core business and went into point-to-point and pivoted the model, saw that this is the real opportunity improve that for 3-4 years. Over the last one year, we have got 8-9 categories under the platform. We’ll have very strong focus on shared mobility and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Restaurant-Week-Dinner-at-Olive-Bar-Kitchen/articleshow/54567808.cms">local innovation in terms of how can we further improve customer and driver experience.</a> 
 
Q. What are the cities that have really done well in terms of shared mobility, which is also why I ask you why such focus on shared mobility? 
 
Pranay: In a supply constrained market and shared mobility helps you decongest at least 30, 40, 50 cars – a shared cab for a day running on Ola would serve at least 30, 40 50 customers depending upon the city. The price points at which it comes is obviously cheaper because you are sharing it with the other person and you are also in some way or the other contributing to the environment. 
 
Q. Does a significant portion of rides happen on Ola Share? 
 Pranay: The big markets are all in similar range– between 20 to 40%. All the seven big cities would be in this range when it comes to the contribution of Ola Share in the overall rides that we do in that city like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and <keyword id="6354925" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata">Kolkata</keyword>. We have OlaShare in 15 cities currently. 
 
Q. When you are talking about cities that you are present in, what is the idea or what is the criteria that you look at before you enter a city? 
 
Pranay: When we started we had a comprehensive understanding of what all is needed right from the population, the number of bridges that you have in the city, does it have an airport or a railway station. How well are those connected? Is there a public transport system? How many people use that intuitively? How are autos there? Do they run on the meter? How is the regulatory state government? What are the fuel options available? Then how many hospitals you have, how many schools you have, how many colleges you have, how many big corporates you have. So, these are like some of the parameters and eventually by mapping these parameters – we mapped more than 250 cities when we launched eventually came down to 102 cities to understand what should be the stack ranking of cities in which we are penetrating. Then we also see how is the city connected well. 
 
Q. So, with Ola Outstation facility, you have access to about 500 cities? What innovations are happening in this space? 
 Pranay. <keyword id="51958" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="YES">Yes</keyword>. Recently we started one-way trips where you don’t have to pay for the round-trip. So, if you book a cab for <keyword id="6356295" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Agra">Agra</keyword> from Delhi – so far you have to pay for the round-trip even if you are going one side , except that now we have started with one-way trips where you have almost 55% of the ride cost that you have to pay. The driver will get a business from Agra and by using navigation he can run his cab in Agra for a while and then eventually come back. This is something that we are contemplating and should be implemented by March 2017. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/In-a-first-Ola-launches-credit-for-ride-share/articleshow/55461416.cms">ALSO READ: In a first, Ola launches credit for ride-share</a> 
 
Q. There is this whole apprehension that Ola is running out of cash and it’s been written about and spoken about so many times. Please set the record straight. 
 
Pranay: We are reasonably capitalized, well capitalized at the moment. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-pros-and-cons-of-e-wallets-like-Paytm-Freecharge-and-Mobikwik/articleshow/55437683.cms">There are certain speculations out in the market that Ola is raising funds or Ola has raised some funds. </a>But I would say that these are speculations and it will be hard for me to comment on that. If you ask me are you looking for funds or not, then I would say it is a constant journey, and if the opportunities arise and the market is hot obviously regardless of whether you need money or not, you will go ahead.

EXCLUSIVE: Ola’s COO talks about all the aces the company has up its sleeves to take on competition from Uber in 2017

Taxi aggregator <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> today declared the launch of '<keyword id="3716887" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola-Offline">Ola Offline</keyword>' across key metros in the country in an offer to tap customers who can't use data services on their phones. 
 
The component will empower customers to book a taxi even without internet. The customer just needs to send his area details to Ola through SMS after which the taxi aggregator will impart driver details to the client. The client will then be needed to call the driver to alter the ride, Ola said in an announcement. 
 
The "Offline" highlight was steered in a few littler markets like Indore and Nagpur, since June this year, it said. 
 
The element will be taken off over all the 102 urban areas that Ola works in, over the coming weeks, beginning with four metros, it included. 
 
The element will be accessible over all taxi classes like Micro, Mini, Prime and Lux.

OLA kickstarts 'Offline' services

<keyword id="2401770" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="BlaBlaCar">BlaBlaCar</keyword>, the global player leading in <keyword id="1741372" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ride-sharing">ride sharing</keyword> services entered India last January and it has already captured a huge segment of the market here. With their presence in 700 cities across the country and having already shared a million seats in the last one year, they are growing at a break neck speed. 
 Entering a market that is already highly competitive with players like <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>, <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword>, Meru and many more carpooling start-ups coming up in the last 2 years, BlaBlaCar plays the game a little bit differently from the others. 
 
“Cheaper service and availability are the main business strategies in India. In Europe we have already made our mark as the cheapest ride sharing service for long distances too, in India it is more about the availability than the price,” said Raghav, India country manager of BlaBla car. 
 
He added that the main challenge is explaining to people what this is, as it is a new concept. But their numbers speak a different truth. During the odd-even rule in Delhi, they had a 65% increase in their services. 
 
“We will start integrating Goverment ID to authentic the identity in the platform soon,” he said.

Exclusive: BlaBlaCar is zooming ahead in India. Clear the way!

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=cab+services&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Cab aggregator</a> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> spent heavily, almost double of what it earned to maintain its number one position and ended up in losses. 
 <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> recorded a loss of Rs 796 crore for FY15, as per regulatory filings made by the firm. 
 
Ola had earned total revenue of Rs 421 crore in the same period, which was an eight-fold increase over the previous year. 
 
ANI Technologies, which owns Ola, said majority of its revenue came from car rental service at around Rs 380 crore and earned Rs 2.26 crore through commission on taxi services. 
 
Presently, Ola is doing everything it can to maintain its lead over <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=taxiforsure&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">TaxiForSure</a> – that are deepening their presence in India. 
 
To maintain the competition, Ola recently started outstation and rental categories to spread its wings over the transportation industry.

Ola spends heavily to maintain lead, ends up in losses

The <keyword id="1983255" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="aap-government">AAP government</keyword> today told the Delhi <keyword id="6355392" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="High-Court">High Court</keyword> that <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>, <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword>, other aggregators of taxis or any operator, ought to be regulated in law to ensure security and safety of the users. 
 
The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath, which is hearing Uber's plea that Delhi government be restrained from interfering with its business. 
 
The AAP government, however, said that Uber's plea is "not maintainable as they have not approached this this court with clean hands and are not entitled to any discretionary remedy for they are running their business illegally and are blatantly flouting the ban order dated January 1, 2015 passed by them and upheld by this court". 
 
The AAP government in its affidavit filed through advocate Prabhsahay Kaur also said that on December 5, 2014 a female passenger was raped by the driver of a car which was booked through the petitioner Uber platform. 
 
"The accused driver of the car has now been convicted by the trial court for rape. The said driver of Uber was known to be a habitual offender and was earlier accused for molestation and robbery. 
 
"These facts vindicate the stand of answering respondent (Delhi government) that Uber do not apply a proper screening process for selection of drivers which eventually led in the culmination of such an unfortunate and dastardly incident, which could have been avoided had the petitioners applied for a license under the under the prescribed procedure," the affidavit said. 
 
"The petitioners as well as other aggregator of taxis, and as a matter of fact any taxi operator, ought to be regulated in law to ensure the security and safety of the users of such platforms," it added. 
 
Government was responding to a court notice issued to them on October 13 last year seeking their replies on the petition of Uber, which runs an app-based taxi service in the national capital by using All India Tourist Permit (AITP) cabs running on diesel. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Uber, Ola and other cab-aggregators should be regulated: AAP govt tells Delhi HC

If someone were to ask me which is the most used app on my phone, the answer would be simple. It wouldn’t require thinking or even any respectable contest. The winner is unanimous. It’s none other than the <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> app. 
 
And, I’m not the only one. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=olacabs">Ola cabs</a>, which has completely revolutionized the way India travels is a favourite with almost everyone, given its convenience, efficiency and how its allowed us to save the daily arguments and haggling with auto/cab drivers who refuse to go by the meter. 
 
Even as Ola’s popularity keeps soaring and the transportation network company founded by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bhavish+aggarwal">Bhavish Aggarwal</a> and <keyword id="2412264" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ankit-Bhati">Ankit Bhati</keyword> is among one of the fastest growing businesses in the country right now, the startup had its fair share of obstacles and hiccups when it started out. 
 
And, we at Business Insider rounded up ten fun facts about Ola that you’ll be surprised to know. After all, behind every successful <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=startup">startup</a> is immense hardwork and an urge to reinvent. 
 
That’s exactly what the Ola success story is all about. 
 
Thus presenting some facts about Ola that chart its success story, from a website offering packaged weekend trips to being India's first startup to enter the unicorn club 
 
1. Ola initially started off as Olatrip.com, a website that offered package weekend trips. 
 <keyword id="1543567" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Bhavish-Aggarwal">Bhavish Aggarwal</keyword>, the CEO used to give handouts of tour/travel packages to visitors at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The founders soon pivoted to personal transportation since that was seen as a major pain point and decided to start Ola Cabs (now Ola). Thus was born India's first mobile app for transportation! 
 
2. Ola's first office was a 10 x 12 feet room in Mumbai. 
 
 
 
3. Initially, Bhavish did everything from photographing drivers to providing customer support and Ankit used to code for 48 hours straight. In Ola’s early days, Bhavish has himself driven a car to drop a customer, because the driver didn't show up! 
 
4. He still doesn’t own a car and vows never to own one! 
 
5. This is what Ola’s first logo looked like! 
 
 
 
6. If all the vehicles on the Ola platform are made to stand in the line, the length would be 3895 kms. That’s the distance from Kashmir to Kanyakumari! 
 
7. The most common names of drivers registered on the Ola platform are Ramesh (3079) &amp; Suresh (2661). Other popular names include Sanjay, Rajesh and Santosh. 
 
8. When drivers are on-boarded, their religion or caste is never asked in any of the documents as a policy. 
 
 
 
9. The average distance covered by Ola vehicles in a day is about 43,40,717 kms. That is over 10 times the distance between Earth and Moon. 
 
10. Ola is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Ola-Cabs-new-round-of-fund-raising-to-value-it-above-5-billion/articleshow/49072304.cms">India’s fastest startup to enter the unicorn club</a>. 
 
Thus, it comes as no surprise that Ola presents a clear example of an <a href="http://www.quettra.com/research/mobile-app-landscape-2015-q3-report/">Indian product retaining market leadership at 78%</a>! 
 
There's more. On the ocassion of Republic Day, Ola has came up with a video saluting the entrepreneurs. Here, have a look! 
 
 
 
Image credit: Ola

Here are 10 facts you've never known about Ola!

Taxi aggregator <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> today said it has signed an agreement with <keyword id="46283" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Nissan">Nissan</keyword> Motor India to procure cars for lending them to new drivers. 
 
In September, Ola had set up a separate unit -- Ola Fleet Technology. It had announced an initial investment of Rs 500 crore to buy cars and lease them to new drivers as it looks to expand its driver network and compete head-on with rival Uber. 
 
The programme has a dedicated capital of over Rs 5,000 crore that will be infused for scaling up the leasing programme in 2016. 
 
"Ola had recently rolled out a cab-leasing programme for driver-partners for which cars will now be purchased from both Nissan and Datsun brands," Ola said in a statement. 
 
It, however, did not disclose the number of vehicles that will be procured under the partnership. 
 
Ola plans to partner more car makers to add over one lakh vehicles on its platform through its cab-leasing unit by end of 2016. 
 Through this partnership, Ola's subsidiary will make available vehicles to Ola <keyword id="4753561" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="driver-partners">driver partners</keyword>, creating employment and subsequently entrepreneurial opportunities for hundreds of thousands of them, Ola Vice President, Strategic Supply Initiatives Rahul Maroli told PTI. 
 
"We look forward to more such partnerships in the coming months, to creating mobility options customised for the Indian market," he added. 
 
Ola had roped in Maroli from LeasePlan to lead its leasing business. 
 
Nissan Motor India Managing Director Arun Malhotra said the growth in the cab industry has been remarkable in the past couple of years in India. 
 
"Nissan has a strong presence in the fleet segment globally and in India, we see a great potential. Our flagship models from both Nissan and Datsun brands are well equipped to cater to the fleet segment offering the much sought after features like space and fuel efficiency," he added. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Ola joins hands with Nissan to lease cars to driver partners

If US-based <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=uber">Uber</a> is rolling out incentives for drivers and passengers, Ola is also adding new segments to lure more traffic. 
 
While Ola is growing its services apart from the main taxi-booking services, Uber is going all guns to dethrone Ola from India’s largest taxi-booking service. 
 
Reportedly, both Ola and Uber have around 2,50,000 drivers registered on their networks, which is excluding auto-rickshaws and black-and yellow taxis. 
 
As Ola wants to raise valuation of about Rs 33,000 crore, investors are interested in knowing its growth strategy. 
 
"Ola's focus on other services such as grocery, which are not closely related to its core competence of providing peer-to-peer ride-sharing, may prove to be a liability. On the other hand, Uber India has been focusing on building its core business by expanding to multiple cities, stricter drivervetting, and opening customer service centres," Sunil Wattal, who teaches management information systems at Temple University in the United States, told ET. 
 
Uber might over take Ola as the former introduced cash payments also, making payment options flexible. 
 
Experts point out that Ola’s expansion has been tremendous with presence in over 100 Indian cities and generating maximum of its business from 22 cities, where Uber also plies. 
 
Meanwhile, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal had earlier said that he had plans to enter new phase of growth with innovations and other large scale new ideas. 
At the same time, Uber India’s President Amit Jain wants to concentrate on its core business. 
 
"Since we entered the India market (in 2012), we have essentially been in investment mode. We have already invested tens of millions of dollars into the market as we scale our operations and capabilities," said Jain. 
 
(Image: Thinkstock)

Uber fast emerging the winner against Ola in the cab aggregator biz in India

<div type="image" msid="57889767" hostid="261"></div>

 
 The <keyword id="44734" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Government">Indian Government</keyword> has been focused towards promoting e-vehicles in order to meet the ambitious target of selling 6 million <keyword id="6354973" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="electric-vehicles">electric vehicles</keyword> by 2020. 
 
Sales of electric vehicles in the country rose to 37.5% to 22,000 units in the year ended 31st March 2016 from 16,000 in 2014-15. India’s automobile industry is the sixth largest in the world and accounts for 22% of the country’s total manufacturing output and Electric Vehicles can play an important role in increasing the share of manufacturing in India’s GDP from the current 15% to 25% by 2022. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/ddb-mudra-group-announces-a-youthful-leadership-transition/articleshow/57876999.cms">ALSO READ: DDB Mudra Group Announces a Youthful Leadership Transition</a> 
 
Although the adoption of EVs in India has witnessed a number of bottlenecks, the government has been committed to making India a 100% EV nation by 2030.Under a unique and innovative scheme named as FAME, Government will provide incentives up to Rs 1.38 lakh for every electric car sold and this is why it makes a lot of sense for public transport to follow suit and adopt this environment-friendly option. <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> is all set to roll out electric vehicles across key cities in India and this move is aimed towards building a more sustainable transport solution in the country. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/shopclues-merchants-can-ease-cash-flows-by-availing-advance-payments/articleshow/57877624.cms">ALSO READ: ShopClues’ merchants can ease cash flows by availing advance payments</a> 
 Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO, and Cofounder, Ola had recently said in an event organized by <keyword id="3401025" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="t-hub-hyderabad">T-Hub Hyderabad</keyword>, “We shall be rolling out electric cars in top cities in the next three months. We will shortly identify the cities where the pilot project will be launched and any decision to scale up the roll out of e-vehicles will be taken on the basis of feedback we receive.” 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/This-exclusive-club-in-Mumbai-charges-Rs-ten-lakhs-as-membership-fee/articleshow/57870267.cms">ALSO READ: This Exclusive Club in Mumbai Charges Rs. Ten Lakhs as Membership Fee</a> 
 
The home-grown cab aggregator’s move can be instrumental in not just economies of scale but also encourage production of more environment-friendly transport in the country.

Ola to be the first cab aggregator in India to introduce e-cabs

<ul><li>The Indian Federation of App-based Transport workers (IFAT) have filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking social security benefits.</li><li>They demanded that gig workers should be considered as “unorganised workers”, which will make their employers liable to pay them certain benefits.</li><li>The lack of employment contracts between gig workers and new age platforms does not mean there is no employer-employee relationship, the petition read.</li></ul>Some of India’s gig workers — associated with new age firms like Uber, Ola, Zomato and Swiggy — are seeking government intervention to help them overcome the impact of the pandemic and make their employers pay for it. The Indian Federation of App-based Transport workers (IFAT) filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court two days ago, seeking their inclusion as “unorganised workers” or “wage workers” within the Unorganised Workers Social Welfare Security Act, 2008. The association, in collaboration with concerned individuals and organisations, noted that the denial of social security to gig workers and “platform workers’ has resulted in their exploitation through forced labour. The transport gig workers, in the petition accessed by Business Insider, noted that the failure to register them as unorganised workers or provide them with social security is violating their right to life and personal liberty as well as right to equality. They also added that app-based companies — Zomato, Swiggy, Uber, Ola and others — currently claim that they are in partnership with gig workers, therefore there is no contract of employment between the two parties. Hence, they want their hands off any responsibility or accountability over the lives and livelihood of the contractual workers associated with them. “The mere fact that their employers call themselves “aggregators” and enter into the so-called “partnership agreements” does not take away the fact that there exists a jural relationship of employer and employee; master and servant and worker within the meaning of all applicable laws,” the petition read. IFAT added that the contracts were made in a way to disguise the nature of the relations between the gig workers and these apps. They also cited a recent Supreme Court ruling in the United Kingdom, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-reclassify-uk-drivers-minimum-wage-benefits-supreme-court-defeat-2021-3">stated</a> that Uber Drivers are in fact workers in the company and are entitled to certain benefits. The workers’ association added that the transport gig workers in India are struggling with decreasing income, increasing fuel prices, immense pressure from loan recovery agents as well as state officials, who too are trying to make a living in this pandemic. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/zee-entertainment-merges-with-sony-pictures/articleshow/86416420.cms">Marriage Story! Zee gets a white knight in Sony</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/infosys-hdfc-bank-vedanta-and-other-top-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-september-22/slidelist/86415930.cms">Zee Entertainment, Infosys, HDFC Bank and other top stocks to watch out for on September 22</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/zee-entertainment-shares-hits-upper-circuit-after-two-independent-directors-resign-on-investors-demand/articleshow/86189814.cms">Zee Entertainment hits 33% after two independent directors resign on investor’s demand</a>

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