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Ola launches 5,100 E-Rickshaws in Delhi-NCR and it is NOT a prank

What is OLA, it is basically a taxi for hire service or a transportation network company to be very precise, which functions primarily to  connects paying passengers with drivers who provide the transportation on their own ‘non-commercial’ vehicle. Ola already has about 80,000 auto-rickshaws and 3.5 lakh cabs on its platform.  As of now the company have a reach within customers using Taxi options only but soon the audience will expand with a major launch on OLA with an e-rickshaw category on its platform. Report

What is an E-rickshaw? Ola e-rickshaw An E-rickshaw is a battery powered rickshaw which acts as a transportation vehicle in private and shared form. The e-rickshaws are generally heavily active in the metro-cities and can carry 1-6+ people at a particular time. The fare is pretty decent and the service is generally used to travel for a short distance varying from 1-10 km in a go.

What has OLA did?

Ola, on Monday, launched a dedicated category for users where they can book rides on these electric vehicle in Delhi-NCR region. According to OLA, the service will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day as part of ‘Stand-Up India’ initiative, which aimed at promoting entrepreneurship. According to Ola’s Chief Operating Officer Pranay Jivrajka: “A total of 5,100 Ola e-rickshaws will be launched in partnership with Bhartiya Micro Credit (BMC) at the event and will be deployed across Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad. This will be further scaled up in the coming months to more small towns and Tier III cities. Citizens in these cities and towns currently suffer from lack of convenient and reliable mobility options, especially for short distances. E-rickshaws are an affordable and greener alternative in these cities that can serve mobility needs unique to these small towns and cities in India, Citizens in these cities and towns currently suffer from lack of convenient and reliable mobility options, especially for short distances. E-rickshaws are an affordable and greener alternative in these cities that can serve mobility needs unique to these small towns and cities in India.”

What is the Fare charges (Kiraya-the goal)?

The Fare charges are, well you may not like it – Company says that the users will have to pay Rs 25 for two km and Rs 8 per km for the following distance. They can pay cash or using Ola Money, the company’s wallet service. Which directly means that you have to pay an approx Rs.49 for 5 Kms and Rs.89 for a distance of 10 Kms.

Is it Good?

Well, it is fairly the same to the kind of money we, as users, pay to the auto-rickshaw and e-rickshaw (private) these days. The service is brilliant for those areas which lacks a transportation system via auto and bus. The whole project looks like a try to reach out the most of the commuters possible in the domain of transportation. One more thing, e-rickshaw charges around Rs.10 for a distance of around 2-4 kms on sharing. image source