Ola to ride on mobile application only

Leading personal transport provider Ola would be accessible through a mobile application only from August in 100 cities across the country in view of the app's increasing use for convenience, the taxi aggregator said on Tuesday.

"Our call centre will continue to operate 24x7 for customer support and assistance. We have also an app for our customers to save on data usage," the company said in a statement here.

With 99 percent of its bookings being made through its app, the company has decided to accept all such requests only through the app from August.

Ola was the first in the country to launch in 2011 a mobile app for cab booking, which is also currently used to book auto-rickshaws and taxis in Mumbai.

"Our 'mobile first' focus coupled with increasing mobile and smart-phone penetration across the country has made booking a cab through an app an intuitive thing to do for users," Ola chief operating officer Pranay Jivrajka said in a statement here.

Similarly, 90 percent of Ola customers choose the "Ride Now" option over "Ride Later" indicating a shift in the way they prefer to use transportation on-demand.

"Even in smaller cities where we launched our services in the past year, more than 95 percent of bookings are made through the app," Jivrajka said.

"As 99 percent of our bookings are made through app, it is clear our users prefer seamless app-experience to any other mode of booking. This will allow us to deliver a one-touch booking and improved ride experience in terms of navigation, payments, safety and feedback," he added.

Customers can download and signup on the Ola app, available for iOS, Android or Windows phones.

On the booking confirmation screen, first-time users can apply the coupon code 'APPONLY' to avail of a flat discount of Rs.150 on their first ride.

Founded in January 2011 by IIT-Bombay alumni Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, Ola in April acquired TaxiForSure cab aggregator to offer city transport service for commuters through a mobile platform for convenience and quick service in about 100 cities across the country.