Ola launches auto-rickshaw service in Thane

Taxi-hailing app Ola on Thursday launched an auto-rickshaw service in Thane city of Mumbai in Maharashtra. 

With the launch of the auto service, Ola's auto-rickshaw service is now be available in six cities of Maharashtra and 72 cities across India, the company said in a press release on Thursday. 

India's home-grown taxi-aggregator Ola has introduced this auto-rickshaw service for the first time in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) of Maharashtra state. 

Commuters in the city can now book auto-rickshaw service right from their door step by booking the 'Auto' category option on their Ola apps.

The auto-rickshaw service of Ola will be available at Rs 12 per kilometer with a base fare of Rs 18 for 1.5 kilometers and a convenience fee of Rs 15. 

Customers can track their rides on the Ola app and also share their ride details in real-time on a live map with friends and family, the release said. Besides, they will also get a system-generated bill immediately on completion of journey over SMS.

“Looking at the digital revolution, the auto reservation, auto journey tracking, bill payment, etc., are now available on a mobile phone and this helps a lot. The success of the digital revolution lies in the convenience people experience in their day-to-day lives. We hope to see Ola providing a great and quality-based auto service to Thane residents,” said Rajya Sabha MP and BJP National Vice President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe who inaugurated the auto-rickshaw service, in a statement. 

Meanwhile, Sahasrabuddhe tweeted as saying, "Today morning flagged off Ola-Rickshaw in Thane! Thanekars can now have app based public-private transport option!"

Today morning flagged off Ola-Rickshaw in Thane! Thanekars can now have app based public-private transport option! pic.twitter.com/wBUNu1wcR0

— Vinay Sahasrabuddhe (@vinay1011) October 6, 2016

Commenting on the launch of auto-rickshaw service, Ola Vice President-New Initiatives, Sundeep Sahni said, “We are excited to introduce Thane auto-rickshaws onto the Ola app. This will create better livelihood opportunities for driver-partners giving them access to consistent demand and better revenue throughout the day.”

“We are currently the largest aggregator of auto-rickshaws in the country and aim to connect more regions like Thane for improved access to smart mobility,” Sahni further added. 

To make the auto-rickshaw service app user friendly for auto drivers, Ola has introduced it in eight languages- English, Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Gujarati. 

The company has over 120,000 auto rickshaws registered on its platform across 72 cities and it plans to launch in more cities in the coming months.