Ola launches fleet service in Kolkata

Cab hailing service Ola Thursday launched its fleet service here in which vehicles would be given on lease to driver-partners.

West Bengal Transport Minister Suvendu Adhikari said that at the Bengal Global Business Summit held in the city in January, the government had signed an MoU with Ola to create 5,000 jobs in the city. The launch of fleet services on Thursday is a step in that direction.

"The launch of Ola Fleet is a result of the MoU with 50 cars being given initially to the driver-partners. The company will invest Rs 350 crore and the number will be scaled up in future," he said.

Transport secretary B P Gopalika said that the cab aggregators, both Uber and Ola, should ensure that prices do not surge more than what had been allowed by the government.

The government has allowed a maximum surge of 45 per cent over base fare for app-cab operators in the city.

Any complaint about abnormal surge would be dealt with strongly, he said.