One touch is now more dynamic.
The touch that is all needed today. Like to operate a cell phone one touch is enough. Even shopping has come under the touch. Open the site, select the item(s) and make the payment-all in touch. Now this touch-methodology enters a new dimension. The Ola (formerly Olacabs) had announced, recently, cashless rides though its in-app Ola money wallet for auto rickshaw rides.
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Few More Words:
Ola is India’s leading mobile app for Intermediary Personal Transportation (IPT). About six months ago Ola launched auto booking through its app. There is, currently, over 40,000 autos are registered on the app and that’s too extended over pan-India. Now the cashless ride is an added feature to this app.
The initiative is a first one in the country in the both aspect for public transportation and digital payments space. The announcement comes after they (Ola) acquired Taxi For Sure for 200 million. The main aim is not only to provide the first-in-country payment solution for auto rickshaws but also to make the auto experience in whole more convenient and seamless for the riders.
The Methodology:
The Customer Perspective
A customer can book an auto through the app. This eliminates the fare-issue as well as the waiting time on the road. The driver details are sent via SMS thus making the location of the auto traceable. The app eradicates the fare-issues by not letting the rider pay the cash directly but letting the app deduct the fare from their Ola Money account. This also takes out the hassle of finding the exchange change after the ride.
The Driver Perspective
The rider if want to pay through the app has to inform the auto rickshaw driver that the payment will be done with Ola Money. After the ride the drive will
- Enter the meter-displayed fare
- Then the 4 digit One Time Password (OTP) received by the rider through SMS
The Ola money then get deducted automatically from the rider’s (customer’s) account. Driver can withdraw the fare (payment) from the prepaid ATM card linked to their Ola account.
The Benefits for Drivers:
As the number says (40,000 registered-autos) it can be said that the adoption of the platforms is happening at rapid rate. The app is helping the driver to receive requests and also helping to have a route map to reach their customers. Ola claims the registered drivers have seen a revenue increase by up to 40%. They are also saved from hassle of carrying as well as finding the change. Besides all these, their daily earnings got deposited in account that is linked to a prepaid ATM card, thus helping them to have a discipline financially on daily basis.
Last Few Words:
Ola’s current in-app initiative is making its impacts in some of the Indian metro. They are operative across Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Bangalore. In Mumbai, the kaali-peeli taxi rides, that can be book through Ola can also be paid by using the wallet.
