Ola shutting down TaxiForSure, to integrate hundreds

Taxi aggregator Ola, which acquired rival TaxiForSure a little over a year ago in a USD 200 million (roughly Rs. 1,240 crores) deal is now reportedly shutting down TaxiForSure as a separate offering, and integrating its fleet a report stated here today.

"The TaxiForSure (TFS) value proposition as an economy brand for customers has been seamlessly integrated onto the Ola platform with the launch and rapid adoption of Ola Micro," Ola said in a statement.

The development comes at a time when the SoftBank-backed aggregator is looking to reduce its cash burn in comparison to rival aggregator Uber.

"TFS has contributed immensely towards Ola Micro's success within a short span of time. Ola Micro has expanded to over 90 cities across India and accounts for the largest share of first time cab users coming onto any mobility platform. This has helped us achieve our objective of building an economy mobility offering for millions of users across the country," it added.

"With all TFS driver-partners and customers coming on board the Ola app, the integration is now complete. As part of this integration over the last 18 months, we have achieved immense operational efficiencies that have resulted in an improved experience for customers and driver-partners alike," said the company.

"In the course of the integration, we have absorbed as many TFS employees for open roles in Ola to support our growth. For positions that cease to exist as a result of this transition, we are offering enhanced severance benefits and outplacement services to help affected employees pursue new career opportunities," it added.