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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>The ₹510 crore IPO of EaseMyTrip is now open for public subscription.</li><li>The best thing about the travel aggregator is the cost-conscious model that sets it aside from other travel aggregators in India.</li><li>Being bootstrapped, the management of the company has tended to be extremely cost-conscious, and this has enabled them to be profitable since inception, said a Ventura report.</li><li>According to Choice Broking, Easy Trip has been profitable since its inception and is the only profitable company among the key OTAs.</li><li>The ICICI Direct report highlighted that taking cognisance of the huge growth opportunities for EaseMyTrip and a lean cost of operations would aid the flow of profitability to the bottom line.</li></ul>From the Indian government-run companies RailTel and IRFC to the most successful IPO of 2021 MTAR Technologies — the IPO bonanza doesn’t seem to be ending soon. Next in the line is the bootstrapped online travel aggregator, EaseMyTrip, making its way to the public markets. The ₹510 crore IPO of EaseMyTrip is now open for public subscription. The company is an exception among a large pool of internet companies, which have tried to get listed — EaseMyTrip has bootstrapped its way to the public markets. The online travel agency (OTA) offers a range of products and services for end-to-end travel solutions, from airline tickets to rail tickets and bus tickets to taxis, holiday packages, hotels, and much more. The best thing about the travel aggregator is the cost-conscious model that sets it aside from other travel aggregators in India. “Being bootstrapped, the management of the company has tended to be extremely cost conscious and this has enabled them to be profitable since inception. Their primary driver of business is that they do not charge a convenience fee and this is what sets them apart from their peers like Make My Trip, Yatra and ClearTrip,” said Ventura in an IPO note. And that’s why nearly every analyst on the street has a ‘subscribe’ rating on the IPO. Street’s view on EaseMyTrip’s ₹510 crore IPO: Subscribe <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Broking House </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Recommendation </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">ICICI Direct </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Subscribe </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">BP Equities </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Subscribe </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Canara Bank Securities </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Subscribe </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Choice Broking </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Subscribe </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">GEPL </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Subscribe </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Hem Securities </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Subscribe </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Ventura Securities </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Subscribe </td></tr></tbody></table> Here's what makes the IPO hot! Lean, cost-efficient operations set it aside from peers According to an ICICI Direct report, EaseMyTrip, owned by Easy Trip Planners Ltd (ETP), had the lowest number of employees among India's key online travel agencies as of March 31, 2020. The company has developed a streamlined, efficient and lean organisation structure relative to the size of its business operations. The advanced technology infrastructure and operating systems focused on optimal human resource allocation, minimising operational and systematic errors and enhancing customer satisfaction have resulted in reducing administration costs while increasing employee productivity and operating efficiencies. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Company </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Easy Trip Planners </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">MakeMyTrip </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Yatra Online </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Customer Promotion Expense as a % of Gross Booking Revenue </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3.00% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">5.93% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1.74% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Employee Expense as a % of Gross Booking Revenue </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0.72% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2.13% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2.08% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Other Operating Expense as a % of Gross booking revenue </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0.27% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0.60% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9907650000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1.01% </td></tr></tbody></table>*Source: Ventura “We believe this has enabled ETP to maintain healthy profitability in the past few years,” the report added. Highest growth rate in terms of gross booking revenue and operating revenues among the Key Indian OTA’s According to Choice Broking, Easy Trip has been profitable since its inception and is the only profitable company among the key OTAs with a positive return on equity (RoE) and return on capital employed (RoCE). The company’s profit had grown from ₹3 lakh in 2018 to ₹32.9 crores in 2020. <div type="image" title="EaseMyTrip" msid="81387653" hostid="261"></div> As per the red herring prospectus, in terms of annual growth in operating revenues during FY 2018 to FY2020, Easy Trip recorded the fastest growth at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 19%, among key online travel agencies in India like MakeMyTrip Limited and Yatra Online. The sector is poised to grow According to Ventura, the company has increased its market share from 3.1% in FY18 to 4.6% in FY20 and has been ranked second among key OTAs in India based on booking volumes. The online penetration, defined as a share of bookings done online through websites of the service providers or through online travel agencies (OTAs), of the Indian travel industry accounted for 56-58% in FY20. The analysts further expect the share of online penetration to 67-68% in FY23, supported by growth in online transactions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Justified valuations The ICICI Direct report highlighted that taking cognisance of the huge growth opportunities for EaseMyTrip and a lean cost of operations that would aid the flow of profitability to the bottom line — “it is an attractive issue.” According to Choice Broking, the company is available at a P/E of 65.3x on FY20 numbers — “which is reasonably priced”. The price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio shows the price that the market is willing to pay for a stock based on its earnings. Higher the P/E, the more expensive the stock. 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Here is why analysts maintain a bullish mood for the ₹510 crore IPO of bootstrapped online travel aggregator EaseMyTrip

<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

Taxi aggregator <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> has applied for a city <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=taxi+licence&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">taxi licence</a> in national capital, New Delhi under the name <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ola+fleet&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola Fleet</a>. 
 
The app-only cab aggregator had applied for the licence on June 1 and the permit typically takes 30-40 days to be granted. 
 "New Delhi is one of the top three cities for both <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a>," ET quoted one of the sources as saying. 
 In July only, Ola got a licence to operate as an "on-demand transportation aggregator" in Bengaluru, whereas <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>'s application was rejected due to incomplete paperwork. 
 
"While Ola is trying to legalise its models to be on the right side of the government and investors, Uber is hitting the court with recommendations to the scheme and hoping to maintain the status quo till favourable regulations are passed," an official told ET. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Ola-Uber-will-train-one-lakh-drivers-for-government-now/articleshow/53377057.cms">Ola, Uber will train one lakh drivers for government now</a> 
 
Last year, the Delhi government had introduced the city taxi scheme, under which any one licence-holder cannot register more than 2,500 cars and needs to follow conditions such as installation of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=GPS&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">GPS</a> devices, taxi meters and fare regulation. 
 
Also, licence-holder will have to ensure every taxi is a motor cab with a valid fitness certificate issued by the transport department, is driven on CNG, LPG, has an engine capacity of 600 cc and above and a seating capacity not exceeding seven, inclusive of the driver. 
 
"Already, both companies have created an incentive structure in a way that makes it impossible for drivers to work with both the companies. With the leasing model, both Ola and Uber want to secure supply," Jaspal Singh, cofounder of the transportation sector consultancy Valoriser Consultants, told ET.

Ola has done something which will make it way ahead of Uber. Find out

<keyword id="1739133" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Travis-Kalanick">Travis Kalanick</keyword>, founder of <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> Cabs, is in India to talk about future of urban mobility. 
 After Travis talked about how they started Uber in the US with the sole thought of "pushing a button to get a cab", Travis went on talking about competition with <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword>, automation and flying vehicles. 
 
Here are a few highlights 
 
He talked about how India is far at adopting new technology and while Uber has had their issues with regulation all over the world India is not a problem area on that. And he says Uber is fine too follow rules as long as it benefits the customers 
 
Only two things can get him riled up if there are issues with low cost and flexible service 
 
He says being local is our main motto in India, "Uber is driven by sons and daughters of India" 
 
On its main competition in India market Ola, Travis agreed Ola is strong competition in India but he also believes competition is good for consumers 
 
There is no plan to partner with Ola like how Uber has merged with other similar mobility service in China 
 
For Uber there have been the most difficult markets to function in, Germany, Spain, Seoul, Tokyo. 
 
India will be the last place to get automated cars given how badly Indians drive on roads 
 We are working on flying cars with a similar concept of <keyword id="94769" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="drones">drones</keyword>

Travis Kalanick "I will apply for Indian
citizenship today if it helps us in India"

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

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

The government has released a 268-page document detailing taxation rules and procedures for various sectors including ecommerce players and taxi aggregators under <keyword id="6354679" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="GST">GST</keyword>. 
 
The Central Board of Excise and Customs has covered registration, valuation and payment, scope and time of supply, refunds, seizure and arrest and other issues. 
 Taxi aggregators such as <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> and <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> will have to register under GST regime and there will be no threshold exemption for them. Also, e-commerce players such as <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> and <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> will also need to register under GST regime irrespective of value of supply made by them. 
 
The industry has been demanding centralised registration and not with every state where a company has business. 
 
"A person providing information or any other services incidental to or in connection with such supply of goods and services through electronic platform would be considered as an operator. A person supplying goods/services on his own account, however, would not be considered as an operator," said the FAQs. 
 
Moreover, if tax evaded is over Rs 2.5 crore, penalty could extend up to five years of jail with a fine, three years if tax evaded is Rs 50 lakh-Rs 2.5 crore and one year if it is between Rs 25-50 lakh. Evasion of tax exceeding Rs 2.5 crore would be considered cognisable and non-bailable.

Now, registering for GST must for taxi aggregators, e-commerce companies

Lately, there has been huge confusion surrounding <keyword id="6405687" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Surge-Pricing">surge pricing</keyword> of cab rides in India and the advent of numerous <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-global-alliance-against-Uber-just-came-online/articleshow/51787248.cms">taxi aggregators entering the market</a>. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Demand-for-taxis-go-down-forcing-Uber-and-Ola-to-launch-innovative-services-to-remain-relevant/articleshow/51790235.cms">Ola and Uber</a> advertises themselves to be one of the cheapest <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Delhi-gets-its-first-Bike-taxi-service-before-Odd-Even-makesa-comeback/articleshow/51741514.cms">taxi service</a> providers with fares as low as Rs. 7/km, however, one ends up paying as much as Rs. 37/km with surge pricing. And customers have no other choice but to pay. Little do they know that in 2013 the government has specified a fixed fare of Rs. 12.50 for economic radio taxis and Rs. 23 for other radio taxis, in addition to night charges! 
 Hence, <keyword id="3164614" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Magic-Sewa">Magic Sewa</keyword>, a transport start-up with an all-sedan fleet of 100% CNG taxis, has filed a petition against surge prices and compliance of government notified fares was heard on Friday last week by Justice Midha. 
 
“We had filed the petition for the enforcement of fares as notified by the government of Delhi and against surge pricing, both being violation of section 67 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988,” said Rakesh Agarwal, Director &amp; CEO, Magic Sewa. 
 If an autorickshaw overcharges even by Rs.10, it has to pay a fine of Rs.5,000 but the Unlicensed <keyword id="2608137" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="taxi-aggregators">Taxi Aggregators</keyword> are charging as high as 3 times the prescribed fares but still no action is being taken against them even after numerous complaints. 
 
Section 67 also says that a taxi cannot charge lower than prescribed fare because it will cause uneconomic competition among holders of permits. However, Unlicensed Taxi Aggregators routinely advertise fare as low as 40% of the government notified fares. 
 
“But they often manipulate the figures in such a way that a passenger ends up paying 4-5 times as much,” he said. 
 <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> declined to comment. We are awaiting <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>'s response. 
 
The court directed Delhi Government to file a status report. This essentially means two things. One, if it is true that nothing lower or higher than prescribed fares can be charged. Two, if it is true that Unlicensed Taxi Aggregators are violating the law and government notified fares through the mechanism of surge pricing and manipulative fares. 
 
The matter will be heard on 18th April. 
 
(Image credits: indiatimes)

You must read this before accepting another surge pricing from Ola and Uber

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

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

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

Cab aggregator <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> has raised $500 million led by Baillie Gifford, Falcon Edge Capital, Tiger Global, <keyword id="163404" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Softbank">SoftBank</keyword> Group, DST Global and China's biggest <keyword id="2621589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Taxi-aggregator">taxi aggregator</keyword> Didi Kuaidi. 
 
Commenting on the funding, Bhavish Aggarwal, cofounder and CEO, Ola told ET, “We are excited about bringing onboard partners who can help us get there faster." 
The investment will be used to fuel supply initiatives, build supply capacity and to go deeper into existing markets. 
 Ola competes with San Francisco based <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> in India and it’s been reported that the gap between these two largest ride hailing platforms is slowly shrinking with both eyeing the leadership position on Indian roads and spending millions of dollars to achieve so. 
 
Ola has closed over $1.3 billion of funding, of which about $1.2 billion has been raised over the past year. San Francisco based Uber in July announced that over nine months it would invest $1 billion (about Rs 6,400 crore) in the country, its largest market outside the United States. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Taxi hailing app, Ola raises $500 million from Tiger Global, SoftBank and others

After guidelines issued by the <keyword id="168381" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="ministry-of-road-transport">Ministry of Road Transport</keyword> appeared to impact the business of the US-based taxi-hailing firm <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> in India, the company has now decided to take help of social media and online petitions. 
 Known as the <keyword id="3114129" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="City-Taxi-Scheme-2015">City Taxi Scheme 2015</keyword>, Uber has launched this campaign against Maharashtra’s draft rules for cab services. The campaign also looks forward to officially communicate its views to the government on the proposed rules. 
 
Shailesh Sawlani, Uber's general manager for Mumbai, says, "We feel it is critical for the people of Maharashtra, who have for years suffered in silence with poor quality transportation, to stand up against these regressive regulations and make their voices heard." 
 
Ola, on the other hand, prefers to directly get in touch with the government officials to resolve stalemates, according to some reports. Earlier, Ola had stated that "We work with authorities at all levels, be it central and state to resolve issues.” 
 
Uber, in the past as well, has taken help of online platform to fix issues with the government. In a similar move, Uber launched a campaign in January this year after the Delhi government banned its services following an alleged rape of a passenger by one of its driver partners. 
 
The company ran a campaign on social networking platform twitter with hash-tag #BringBackUber. Moreover, it also launched online petitions that received nearly 8,000 applications. The case, however, is now in court. 
 
Up until now, the petition in Mumbai has received around 24,000 online signatures. 
 
According to the draft rule issued by the Department of Home under Maharashtra government, a cab service licensee should have a fleet of 1,000 taxis to 4,000 taxis. Additionally, fare charged by the cabbies would be prescribed by the state transport authority. 
 
The conditions are not acceptable to Uber along with a proposal that asks its taxi drivers to maintain a feedback register and receipt printers. 
 
Sawlani also added that “The proposed scheme is a clampdown on consumer choice and freedom. It is equally important for commuters to let the government know that this scheme does not have smart solutions nor their interests at heart.” 
 
Turning down such online campaigns, a Delhi-based lobbyist for transport firms says, "The online petition in Delhi was not very effective mainly because of the timing, as it was done after the rape case. And second, there was a petition to change an existing law, unlike in Mumbai where comments are invited. Cab companies should work with authorities. It is not possible to settle all issues through the judiciary."

You Searched For "taxi aggregation" and got 13 results

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

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

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