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In a bid to strengthen its core technology, India’s ride hailing app <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> hired <keyword id="4168815" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pranav-Tiwari">Pranav Tiwari</keyword> and <keyword id="4168816" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjay-Kharb">Sanjay Kharb</keyword> as Vice-Presidents engineering. 
 
The hiring comes after CFO <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=rajiv+bansal&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Rajiv Bansal</a> and <keyword id="3545539" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cmo-raghuvesh-sarup">CMO Raghuvesh Sarup</keyword> quit the company. 
 
Tiwari, former CTO of Cellworks as well as an ex-Googler, will be working towards optimizing growth and profitability by bringing in necessary efficiencies in the supply chain function. 
 
Meanwhile, Kharb, who was earlier VP - Production Engineering at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=inmobi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">InMobi</a>, will strengthen efficiencies in <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword>’s technology infrastructure including site operability, compliance and data systems. 
 
“Ola has consistently invested in technology, consolidating supply chain and building a robust technological backbone, by bringing onboard, world class talent. They bring in relevant and significant experience with large technology businesses and they have an integral role to play in Ola’s aspirations to create innovative solutions that will efficiently solve for the diverse mobility needs of the country,” said CTO and Co-founder at Ola Ankit Bhati. 
 
The team will work closely with the supply chain team to help create a better experience for customers and driver partners alike, by building solutions that will effectively optimize use of vehicles on the platform, reduce deviations in routes, and improve matching of customer with drivers, among others. 
 
In last month, Ola has made significant appointments. Ola hired Dr Badri Raghavan as Chief Data Scientist, Vishal Kaul as Chief Operating Officer and Shalabh Seth as CEO of Ola Fleet Technologies.

Ola hires Pranav Tiwari, Sanjay Kharb as Vice Presidents after high-level exits

India’s top ride hailing app <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> is going through top level churn as its CFO <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=rajiv+bansal&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Rajiv Bansal </a>quit the company. Pallav Singh has been given the additional responsibility as interim CFO. 
 Also, <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword>'s chief marketing officer <keyword id="2237351" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Raghuvesh-Sarup">Raghuvesh Sarup</keyword> has also resigned and his replacement has not been decided yet. 
 Bansal, former <keyword id="6354512" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Infosys">Infosys</keyword> CFO, joined Ola one year back. His exit comes in the wake of ongoing rift between founders and board of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=infosys&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Infosys</a>. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/strategy/trouble-is-brewing-between-infosys-founders-and-board-heres-everything-you-should-know/articleshow/57054500.cms">Trouble is brewing between Infosys founders and Board. Here's everything you should know</a> 
 
Bansal joined Ola in January 2016, with one of his key mandates to prepare the company for a public listing. 
 
Meanwhile, Sarup also joined at the same time as Bansal.

Ola sees top level exits; CFO Rajiv Bansal, CMO Sarup quit

<keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> Cabs today announced that its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/These-are-Olas-biggest-product-innovations-created-as-a-resultof-direct-user-insights/articleshow/55498327.cms">newly launched Share Pass has already pre-sold over 5 million Ola Share rides </a>in less than 60 days. 
 
The positive response to Share Pass is being credited to the convenience, predictability, and cost-savings that Ola offers. 
 
Share Pass, a subscription product, allows customers to take Ola Share rides at a flat fixed price. Inspired to solve specific challenges in India, Ola has taken an innovative approach towards simplifying its Ola Share users’ commute, delivering affordability, predictability and ‘no peak pricing’ benefits to Ola Share users. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/EXCLUSIVE-Olas-COO-talks-about-all-the-aces-to-take-on-competition-from-Uber-in-2017/articleshow/55477059.cms">ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Ola’s COO talks about all the aces the company has up its sleeves to take on competition from Uber in 2017</a> 
 Available in three variants of 10, 20 and 40 rides; customers can hail an Ola Share and pay the same price for every ride. After running a successful launch in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai, Share Pass is now live in a total of 7 cities including Delhi-NCR, <keyword id="6354925" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata">Kolkata</keyword>, Mumbai, and Pune. 
 
Millions of Indian commuters rely on<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/In-a-first-Ola-launches-credit-for-ride-share/articleshow/55461416.cms"> public transport, including buses, local trains, and metros for their daily travel.</a> 
 Business Insider talked to <keyword id="3928607" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="raghuvesh">Raghuvesh</keyword> <keyword id="3864806" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sarup">Sarup</keyword>, CMO and Head of Categories at Ola, who said, “At Ola, we believe that shared mobility has the potential to solve major <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="transportation">transportation</keyword> issues in India, including congestion and pollution. The Share pass will help Ola address the growing customer demand for Share rides.” He further added, “Share Pass is a major step ahead for shared mobility in India, and we predict this category will be as large as the industry is today even bigger than Ola, in the next 18 months.” 
 
 
5 Million kgs of CO2 saved 
 
Over the last 8-10 months, Ola Share been able to save upwards of 5 million kilograms of carbon emissions along with over 2 million liters of fuel as more and more people shared cabs. A recent Ola campaign called #DoYourShare; accounted for savings of over 1200 tons of carbon emissions in just three metros - Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. 
 
How does the Ola Share Pass work? 
 
You can find ‘Share Pass’ under the menu options of your Ola app. Depending on your usage, you can choose from 3 variants of the Pass - 10, 20 or 40 rides. You can pay for the Share Pass using Ola Money/ Net banking / Debit or credit cards. Once purchased, a flat fare will automatically apply every time 
 
Expansion plans 
 
Raghuvesh thinks that in the future Ola will also enable options like – Gifting of share pass.In terms of expanding this category, Mr. Sarup thinks that it will be the future for how India commutes,’’In the coming months our focus will be to expand on this category by customizing it to big corporates under Ola Corporate category. This category also helps during this era of demonetization where cash-crunch is affecting the best of us. 
 
Cases where the employer pays for the employees for to and fro office or even where there is a Ride approval for a particular ride, will be integrated into the app through technology’’ says Sarup. Daily commuters and students are the most popular category under the Share pass and the crossing of features makes sense for the company as it results in consistent rides and also regular cash flow.

EXCLUSIVE: Ola share pass pre-sells 5 million share rides in 60 days

After Mumbai, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> on Monday launched the luxury category ‘<keyword id="3381312" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ola-Lux">Ola Lux</keyword>’ in Delhi NCR. 
 The Lux will feature high end luxury sedans and SUVs like <keyword id="42034" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Jaguar">Jaguar</keyword>, Mercedes, <keyword id="6363321" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Audi">Audi</keyword>, <keyword id="6355119" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="BMW">BMW</keyword>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Toyota+Camry&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Toyota Camry</a> and Fortuner among others. The service will be available on the <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> app at a minimum fare of Rs. 200 and Rs. 19/km henceforth. A ride time charge of Rs. 2 per minute is also applicable, the company said. 
 "Delhi NCR is home to several top industrialists, bureaucrats and young professionals alike, who value the luxury experience. Ola Lux brings superior in-cab experience with unmatched style and comfort, at the touch of a button," <keyword id="2237351" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Raghuvesh-Sarup">Raghuvesh Sarup</keyword>, Head of Categories and Chief Marketing Officer at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> said. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola+Lux&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola Lux</a> is currently available in select areas across Delhi NCR. Features like driver details being displayed upfront, SOS button, AutoConnect Wifi, live tracking and seamless payment using <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola+Money&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola Money</a> will continue to be available on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola+Lux&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola Lux</a>, the company said. 
 
Image credit: Ola

Ola launches luxury car category in Delhi NCR

After affordable travel, online taxi hailing app <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> has launched '<keyword id="3381312" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ola-Lux">Ola Lux</keyword>', a luxury offering for in-city travel. The service is currently available in South Mumbai only, but the company plans to launch it in other parts of the city before taking it across the country. 
 
The fleet to be offered in this category includes <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=luxury+sedans&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">luxury sedans</a> like Jaguar, Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Toyota Fortuner and Honda Accord, among others. The minimum fare is Rs 200 and Rs 19 per/km post that, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> said. A ride time charge of Rs 2 per minute will also be applicable. 
 
"Ola has always focused on providing superior in-cab experience, and choices to suit the need, usage occasion and mood of its customers. Ola Lux is an offering in that direction, at the high end," said <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Raghuvesh+Sarup&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Raghuvesh Sarup</a>, Head of Categories and Chief Marketing Officer at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> said. 
 
Ola Lux will have features like SOS buttons, AutoConnect Wifi and live tracking.

Ola launches into luxury travel with 'Ola
Lux' in Mumbai

<keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> announced the launch of <keyword id="3852837" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola-credit">Ola Credit</keyword> today,and yes, you read that right! 
 It is a unique postpaid service to enable users who can now pay later for their rides. There’s a catch- Ola Credit enables commute to only key corporate clients like L&amp;T, Siemens, <keyword id="10875" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IBM">IBM</keyword> among many others and high-frequency customers, which means new users might not be able to avail this service anytime soon. 
 Ola Credit will give customers 7 days of credit so they can keep booking Ola cabs without worrying about having sufficient <keyword id="37885" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cash">cash</keyword> in their wallet or in banks. Ola Credit can be repaid via net banking, debit or credit cards easily within a period of 7 days. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/5-crucial-developments-in-the-startup-space-you-must-know-about/articleshow/55456342.cms">ALSO READ: 5 crucial developments in the startup space you must know about</a> 
 Raghuvesh Sarup, Chief Marketing Officer, and Category Head at Ola talked to <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword> about how the company will settle dues if unpaid,’ We are only providing this service to our trusted customers and corporate partners. If for some reason, the payment isn’t made within 7 days, we will remind the user and make sure that our patronage isn’t affected.’ 
Ola Credit, if used right, can play an important role in the movement of a large number of low-value transactions online, allowing people to conserve lower denomination currency for their other important daily needs. 
 
So how does it work? 
 
A customer can select ‘Ola Credit’ as their payment option while booking a ride. The 7-day credit cycle begins from the date of the first credit ride. A customer will be able to clear dues using <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-pros-and-cons-of-e-wallets-like-Paytm-Freecharge-and-Mobikwik/articleshow/55437683.cms">Ola Money,</a> within the credit period of 7 days. 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Zoomcar-is-now-using-this-AI-tech-To-Make-Driving-Safer/articleshow/55459851.cms">This is a great way to track your weekly cab expenses and pay them according to the time of the month when your credit cycle might be going haywire.</a>

In a first, Ola launches credit for ride-share

<keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword>’s ‘micro’ category, which was launched in seven cities two months ago, is now available in 75 cities as the cab-aggregator scaled up its operations to 48 new cities. 
 
With the new addition, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> claims its ‘micro’ category has an edge over its nearest rival, hinting at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a>. 
 "In just under 7 weeks of its launch, <keyword id="3291107" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola-Micro">Ola Micro</keyword> alone as a category is larger than our nearest competitor as a whole," said Ola Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Categories Raghuvesh Sarup. 
 He based his claim on the number of daily rides with just Ola Micro as against its US-based rival <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>. 
 
READ MORE: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Exclusive-Taking-to-dusty-roads-the-current-face-of-Olas-expansion/articleshow/51810023.cms">Exclusive: Taking to dusty roads – the current face of Ola’s expansion</a> 
 
When contacted, an Uber spokesperson said: "We are excited to see the growth and momentum we have picked over the last few months, becoming the most popular ride-hailing app in India. It's all possible because of the product and technology that provides better value to our riders and drivers using our platform." 
 
She added: "Our focus remains firm on growing deeper into the cities we operate in and building an unmatched, consistent quality experience that Uber is known for, both in India and around the world." 
 
Meanwhile, Sarup claimed Ola Micro has taken the lead as the fastest growing category on its platform. 
 
The cities where Ola Micro just made inroads also include Patna, Aligarh, Amravati, Guntur, Jhansi, Mathura, Rourkela, Thanjavur, Ujjain, Hubli, Rajahmundry, Rajkot and Siliguri.

Ola’s ‘Micro’ category emerges as Uber’s biggest competition. Expands to 48 new cities

It’s been barely three weeks since <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=taxi+aggregator">taxi-aggregator</a> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ola+cabs">Ola</a> launched its newest ride-hailing service <keyword id="3291107" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola-Micro">Ola Micro</keyword> and the company is already beginning to reap the results of the category. 
 According to Anand Subramanian, <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword>’s Senor Director, Marketing and Communications, what Ola as a platform managed to achieve in a span of three years, Ola Micro accomplished the same results in just three weeks. 
 “In three weeks, we have put up a category (Ola Micro) which is already 50 per cent of all of <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>'s daily bookings in the country. The rate at which Micro is growing, it will be larger than their entire brand within a month," claimed Raghuvesh Sarup, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Categories at Ola. 
 
At Rs 6 per km and a minimum fare of Rs 50, Ola Micro is the company’s cheapest offering. Available in seven cities as of the moment (Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune), Ola Micro has been garnering significant traction with the company seeing thousands of bookings every day. On offer are rides in cars like Datsun's GO, Suzuki's WagonR and Hyundai's EON when anyone rides with Ola Micro. 
 
Subramanian added that Ola Micro has been primarily introduced for the ‘short distance commute’ sector- thus giving customers an economical solution. He further said that the Micro will be sort of an ‘onboarding platform’ for new users. 
 
“Our data shows that about two-thirds of the people who tried Ola Micro were new users, so that’s an encouraging development,” claims Subramanian, adding that it will be the first AC cab ride at such a jaw-dropping price for a lot of people. 
 
The launch of Ola Micro was a result of the company learning the Indian market, trying to understand the needs of their users and finally executing the idea. 
 
“We understand that India is a group of micro markets, each of which come with different needs. As a brand, it’s important for us to not only fulfil those needs, but also to ensure that every market is taken care of,” Subramanian further adds. 
 Citing the example of <keyword id="2517392" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola-Prime">Ola Prime</keyword>, the company’s luxury offering with wifi, he says that the Prime was intended to target individuals heading for meetings or official work and he attributed the company’s meticulous understanding of the needs which led to Ola Prime being a runaway hit, so much so that they’ve had to add an extra 20,000 sedans in the last couple of weeks itself to meet soaring demands. 
 
“Our competitions has also tried different permutations and combinations around wifi-enabled cars, but have failed to achieve any success.” 
 
Broaching the topic of competition, when asked to comment on Uber’s claim of being larger than Ola in a month, Subramanian was quick to respond, “Keeping loose claims aside, it’s a known fact that Ola has the majority of the market share- at around 75% as compared to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=uber">Uber</a>.” 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Micro
alone will surpass Uber’s India business within a month, says Ola

Much like the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Flipkart&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Flipkart</a>-<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Amazon&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amazon</a> tussle in India’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=e-commerce&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">e-commerce</a> space, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a>-<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> battle in the online cab aggregation sector is also heating up. 
 
Looking to dominate India’s $9 billion industry, both taxi-hailing apps are promising hundreds of millions in new investment, and are willing to go that extra mile to offer Indians a ride, and more. The battle for the Indian market has even been dragged from the streets to the Court. 
 
Here are a few grounds where <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=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> locked horns, just to get a bigger piece of the Indian pie: 
 
Raw Money Power: 
Looking at the lack of adequate public transport in Indian cities, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> have together promised an hefty investment of over $2.25 billion in India. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> reportedly plans to pump over $500 million by June in India. This is over and above the $1 billion already committed over the past nine months. That is some serious money. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> hasn’t been left wanting either. It has promised to add another 2,000 cars to its existing fleet of 26,000 in the nation’s capital. It is backed by the likes of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=SoftBank&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">SoftBank</a>, and some of the most cash-rich VCs in the world. 
 
WiFi in Autos? 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> both began offering in-car WiFi last year. 
 
However, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> has been pulling out all its stock to go up against <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a>. The company plans to launch WiFi services in the budget cab segment, and even its auto-rickshaws. 
 
Some wonder how that's humanly possible at the current cost. 
 
Legal Battles: 
Interestingly, both taxi aggregators have been in legal wrangles. 
 
In October 2015, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> filed a legal petition, accusing <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> of flouting a Supreme Court order demanding app-based taxis in New Delhi switch from running on diesel to using CNG (compressed natural gas). 
 
A few months on, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> recently sued <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> for allegedly creating 93,000 fake <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> accounts, and tampering its businesses. The company has been seeking around $7.4 million in damages. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> claims <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> employees used bogus accounts to book and cancel a whopping 400,000 rides over the last six months. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> allegedly had to pay high cancellation charges to drivers due to this. It claims around 20,000 drivers quit the platform in frustration. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> officials 'categorically deny’ <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a>'s allegations of fraud. Senior officials Anand Subramanian and Rahul Maroli told Business Insider they 'stand by' their statement. 
 
Accusations: Both <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> and <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> have been accused of wrong-doing. 
 
Recently, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Paytm&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Paytm</a>-backed online transportation app <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Jugnoo&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Jugnoo</a> alleged Ola has adopted unethical practices against it. In a blog post, the company claims Ola employees made fake bookings, and tried to hamper its operations. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Jugnoo&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Jugnoo</a> CEO Samar Singla has said his team saw a sudden surge in bookings and cancelations. According to him, around 20,000 cancelations were made through 800 accounts over a 10-day period earlier this month. In December, the auto-rickshaw aggregator had accused Ola of poaching employees and driver database in Chandigarh. 
 
Uber has made similar claims against Ola. Ola spokesperson <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Anand+Subramanian&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Anand Subramanian</a> maintains this to be Uber’s way of ‘payback’ for the legal petition Ola filed, accusing Uber of flouting a Supreme Court order. 
 
Interestingly, Uber’s rivals <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Lyft&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Lyft</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Gett&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Gett</a> had in 2014 complained against the aggregator of making false bookings, and recruiting Lyft and Gett driver partners for its own service. 
 
Experiments gone wrong: 
In an attempt to find new battlegrounds, Ola and Uber both launched their bike-taxi services in India’s Bengaluru on the very same day. 
 It seems both knew of each other’s plans and neither wanted to be left behind. However, neither was fully ready. Several users claimed not a single <keyword id="3149752" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="bike-taxi">bike taxi</keyword> was visible. 
 
Both were offering extremely competitive rates. Ola has a per km rate of Rs 2, and a minimum fare of Rs 30. Uber has a per km rate of Rs 3 and a minimum fare of Rs 15. 
 
However, Ola was forced to roll back its service a few days later after the Karnataka state government said that India’s Motor Vehicle Act doesn’t have a provision for two wheelers to be used as taxis. Simply put, the bike taxi services were illegal. 
 
When asked about the same, Ola COO Pranay Jivrajka refused to comment on the issue. 
 
However, Uber bike taxis continue to ply on Bengaluru’s (earlier Bangalore) roads. 
 
This isn’t the first time this has happened. As rival Uber was turning up the heat, Ola started experimenting with hyper-local food and grocery delivery. 
 
It was later forced to shut these and focus on serving its core business. Although, it went on an overdrive, introducing new categories like Micro, Prime, a shuttle bus service and carpooling in a very short span. 
 
Regulatory hassles: 
While Uber has been facing regulatory hassles worldwide, and has the muscle to lobby for friendlier policies, Ola is still pretty new to such complications in business. 
 
Recently, Indian state Karnataka stood firm on not allowing surge pricing for app-based ride hailing services such as Ola and Uber. In the state, online taxi aggregators operate as ride-hailing service under a license obtained under the Radio Taxi Scheme, 1988. 
 
The policy says the charged fare cannot be higher than the fare fixed by the government. That means transport apps have to charge within a band where the upper limit is capped. Ola COO <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Pranay+Jivrajka&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Pranay Jivrajka</a> told BI the company's 'working together' with the state government to find a feasible solution. 
 
Way back in August, in a major setback to Ola Cabs, the Delhi High Court dismissed its plea challenging a single-judge order upholding Delhi government's ban on such taxi services. 
 
While Ola argued that non-app based taxi organizations also come under the Radio Taxi Scheme, and that Ola doesn’t own these vehicles anyway, the Delhi government had said the All India Tourist Permit (AITP) vehicles that operate under Ola brand are meant for tourist destinations and not point-to-point service in city. 
 
Online taxi aggregators were finally legalized. 
 
Chest Thumping 
Ola and Uber have both thrown around numbers that hardly make sense if put together. 
 
In a recent interview, Ola’s Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Categories Raghuvesh Sarup said, "In three weeks, we have put up a category (Ola Micro) which is already 50% of all of Uber's daily bookings in the country. The rate at which Micro is growing, it will be larger than their entire brand within a month." 
 
On the other hand, Eric Alexander, President of Uber's Asia business, in an interview said his company was on the verge of overtaking Ola in India. "In January last year, we were at five per cent market share. Now, we are right at the edge of 50 per cent. Within next 30 days, we would beat them (Ola). We will surpass them very, very shortly." 
 
The statistics are even more confusing. Ola claims it holds 75% of the Indian app-based taxi-hailing market, with over 350,000 driver partners on its platform across the country, while Uber claims otherwise. 
 
As the cut-throat fight between Uber and Ola continues, some say it’s reminiscent of Uber’s tussle with Lyft in the U.S. The two San Francisco-based rivals were constantly undercutting each other’s tariffs, poaching each other’s drivers and duplicating services. 
 
Let’s just say its the same war, but with some Indian masala.

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