The app-based cab aggregator Ola has launched a self-driving service that will allow customers to rent a car for anywhere between two hours and three months. The service, Ola-Drive, claims to offer people the chance to customise their package by choosing the number hours, kilometres and fuel.
At the moment, the service — with a fleet of 500 cars — is limited to Bengaluru, with plans for expansion to Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad. Ola aims to increase its fleet to 20,000 cars by 2020 and has plans to invest about $200 million into Ola-Drive.
At a press conference on Thursday, Arun Srinivas, chief sales and marketing officer of Ola, said, “In the first phase of its rollout, Ola-Drive will be offered as a short-term self-drive car-sharing service, as we look to introduce long-term subscription, corporate leasing and more options in the times to come.”
The standard distance option ranges from 8 km to 60 km, with a charge of ₹8 for every additional km. All cars will have an in-built navigation system. A 24x7 helpline will also be available for roadside assistance in the event of car breakdown. For customer safety, Ola has an in-app emergency button and live tracking option.
At present, there are five stations from where the cars can be picked up — at parking levels of Garuda Mall, Ashok Nagar; Forum Mall, Koramangala; Vega City Mall, Bannerghatta; Ola Drive Zone; and Golf View Campus (IBC), Murugeshpalya.
The user is given the option of choosing among four models of cars. He can also select the distance and time he wishes to use the car for. Any change in actual time or distance travelled will be adjusted at the time of bill calculation. The user can pick up and drop the car at any of the five designated stations.
