Ola launches ride-sharing feature on its app

Indian car rental aggregator firm Ola Cabs on Tuesday announced the launch of its 'Share' social ride-sharing feature on its mobile application.

The share carpooling feature, still in beta version, is live on its mobile application and can be used by the customers in Bengaluru at an introductory flat fare of Rs.50, the company said.

"With Share, we not only bring economy, convenience and comfort of travelling with people in your circles, but also increased inventory utilisation of vehicles on the platform," said Ishan Gupta, head of Ola Share, in an e-mailed statement.

Ola Share uses advanced algorithms to match users who plan to travel on the same route in real-time, within the users' identified social groups. When a user selects his drop location, Ola will match users from common groups who are also looking for a cab on the same route in real time.

Once 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, the company said.

Privacy-minded users can choose to travel with users from social groups they choose to be part of.

The service will be rolled out across five cities over the next three months.