Ola sets up council to enhance road safety

Cab aggregator Ola today said it has set up a 'safety council' that will bring together organisations and individuals from various sectors to work together on enhancing safety on Indian roads.

The council will work alongside policy makers, state transport authorities, traffic police departments and other stakeholders to create solutions that enhance ride and road safety on Ola as well as the ecosystem at large, Ola said in a statement.

"Ola safety council will bring together members' knowledge, data, technology and local networks, and will focus on areas that will make the greatest impact," it added.

"In the coming months, the Ola Safety council will work on advancing innovative solutions to accelerate the growth and social impact of road safety tech, leveraging council members insights for best practices in safety for ride-sharing industry and addressing road safety challenges by working with local Government and other key stakeholders," it said.

Member organisations include Indian Road Safety Campaign (road safety arm of Solve), Centre for Social Research, and World Resources Institute (WRI) India Head OP Agarwal, among others.

Ola said the safety council will "act as a catalyst" towards supporting the government's efforts to halve road deaths and injuries by 2020.

According to government data, 1.5 lakh people are killed and 5 lakh injured on Indian roads in a year, the highest in the world.

The council will also lend support in areas like gender sensitisation training for driver partners.

"...the council will further strengthen the mobility safety ecosystem in the country. The intent is to galvanise public-private partnerships through multi-stakeholder approach, bringing in measurable impact," Ola Senior Director Operations Nitesh Prakash said.