'Ola Share' now in Delhi-NCR; enables ridesharing in support of state's odd-even experiment

Ola, India's leading mobile app for personal transportation today announced the launch of Ola Share, India's first social ride-sharing offering in Delhi-NCR. Launched ahead of the state's odd-even experiment starting January 1, 2016, Ola Share will allow citizens who travel on the same routes to share their rides with users from social groups they are part of, starting today.

This makes for economical fares and reduced congestion, since a ride can now be shared by up to three people at any point in time. Customers in Delhi-NCR stand to benefit from a flat 50% discount on Ola Share fares over the coming month, as the state buckles up for a first of its kind experiment to curb road congestion and pollution.

Ola Share was first launched in October in the city of Bangalore and has seen tremendous acceptance from customers and driver partners in the city.

With Ola Share, customers can travel with members of social groups they are part of, without having to share their ride with strangers. Ola has introduced the concept of social groups on its app through which colleagues from a workplace or friends from a college can come together to share rides amongst themselves. A user can join multiple groups or simply choose to share a ride with anyone.

Users can also request creation of groups with due email verification. As soon as a user requests a Share ride on the Ola app, they will be matched with other users from their groups along their way. Only CNG vehicles will be utilized for Ola Share bookings within Delhi, in line with Ola's continued commitment to CNG adoption.

Ishan Gupta, Head, Ola Share said, "We are excited to bring Ola Share to Delhi NCR at a time when the citizens and the government are taking a massive step to reduce on-road congestion. Ola Share will help citizens travel in the comfort of social groups they are part of, with convenient access from the Ola app. Ola is committed to building mobility for a billion Indians and with the launch of Ola Share in the national capital, we are taking a major step in that direction."

Ola Share makes urban transportation economical and efficient. With better utilization of vehicles on the road, many more cars can be taken off the road every single day. This will go a long way in making our cities cleaner and greener by reducing pollution and congestion on road. With the Delhi State Government pioneering the odd-even formula in India, Ola Share with economical fares and convenient access will encourage citizens to make smarter mobility choices.

How does Ola Share work?

Ola Share will appear on the Ola app as a separate category. On sharing the drop location, the Ola app uses advanced algorithms to match users from common social groups, looking for a cab on the same route, in real time. When additional users en-route are identified, the driver's device gets an alert with navigation to their pickup location within minutes, to join the ride. A maximum of three people can share a cab together via Ola Share.

All of Ola's safety features including Track your Ride, Share Ride Details, SOS, Emergency Contacts, 24x7 Customer Support and In-trip feedback are available on Ola Share as well. Driver-partners get an option to log onto the Share platform, getting instant access to increased revenue of up to 50%, through continuous fulfillment of booking requests.