Ola to soon start self-drive cab rental service in Bengaluru

Ola, an app-based cab aggregator, has been granted a licence to launch self-drive cab rental service in Bengaluru in addition to its existing businesses. Ola will likely offer these cars on a short-term rental, long-term subscription and corporate leasing models.

Termed ‘Ola Drive’, Ola is testing the pilot in Bengaluru presently for a select number of its users. The company will further extend the service to the rest of the country.

Ola in a statement said, “Ola’s deep knowledge of the Indian customer has allowed us to build tailor-made mobility offerings across 12+ categories including cabs, three-wheelers and two-wheelers. Launching a self-drive service is a natural extension for Ola and we are excited to build innovative offerings for both individuals and corporate customers.”

Ola will be investing capital of $500 million in India in the next couple of years on this self-driving service alone. The service will be started with a fleet of 10,000 cars across the country.

The firm is reportedly in talks with luxury car makers such as BMW, Audi to launch premium cars for the self-drive option to its users. Initially, Ola will be renting out hatchbacks and SUVs.

Ola will compete with existing brands such as Zoomcar, Myles, Drivezy among others, in this self-drive segment.